His Eyes
by Sephy Pooh Bear
Summary: Cloud finally convinces his mother to let him go to Migar, the big city, after years of begging. To become SOLDIER, that was his goal. And if he meets his idol, General Sephiroth, along the way and they happened to fall in love... Well, all was good then!
1. L'lultima Notte

Cloud looked up at the muggy sky. Midgar was a kaleidoscope of smog and toxic waste, but after three weeks of traveling it's a sweet victory to finally arrive. His shaggy, spiky blonde hair was slick with sweat and greasy with oil, and his black jeans and hot pink hoodie were smeared with dirt and grime. Cloud was sure that he smelled something awful. It had taken almost a year to convince his mother to let him go to Midgar. Cloud had thought he wouldn't be able to convince her in time to get to the fall pre-SOLIDER class try outs. It had been an intense battle for the fifteen year old….

FLASHBACK

"Cloud, you're not going to that cesspool! It's too dangerous, and I will not have my baby boy signing up with the devil!" Ms. Hazel Strife shouted as she ran about the kitchen preparing dinner. Ms. Strife was preparing dinner for the lovely twosome. It was a Saturday and just like any day in the quaint town of Nibelheim. Their house wasn't big, it was probably the smallest house in the town in fact, and that was say something in a town the size of a pea. It was a small white house with a wooded back yard and a front yard full of snow. All. Year. Long. Cloud hated the cold, and snow is cold. Think about it.

Two stories with a kitchen, a living room and den on the first floor, and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor. Nothing really exciting about the house, and most of the rooms were painted white except for Cloud's bedroom, which was emerald in color. It had taken forever for him to find the perfect paint that matched the color of _his_ eyes, but that was completely besides the fact.

"But Ma, it's only a PRE-SOLDIER class, it's not actually SOILDER!" _Yet_, Cloud added, sitting at the table. He huffed in annoyance. Why couldn't she just understand? It was his **dream** to become a SOLDIER, and this is the first ever class that they were offering before the training. The rate of failure for SOLDIER is about seventy-eight percent, and because of an extreme need for more recruits, the President decided to try out a new type of training class. He figured if the cadets had just a little more practice they would have a better chance of surviving the entrance exam. In theory.

Cloud knew full and well that he could still fail, even with the new class. But he also figured that if the chances of failing are so high with_out_ the class, if he took the class he had a much better chance of getting into the program.

"Doesn't matter Cloud, 'cause when you finish the _PRE-_SOLDIER class," Ms. Cloud snipped sarcastically, "then you'll move on to big and better things and try out for the real SOLDIER unit. Three boys _died_ during the test Cloud. _The test! _It wasn't battle, it wasn't war, it was a freaking test!" By this point, she had turned around and was waving a butcher knife through the air. Cloud cringed and moved away, imagining his blood splattering the beige walls of their tiny kitchen. The kitchen table, where he was sitting, wasn't even six feet away from the pointy tip of the shiny steel knife. He gave a relieved sigh when she went back to cutting the nibel wolf… Well, hacking anyways.

"Please." That was all he said. Now take into consideration that he had been asking for a year,and every time his mother had said that it was out of the question or too dangerous. Hazel Strife was not a mean mother by any stretch of the imagination and could only take so much begging from her baby boy.

"Let… me think about it Cloud. Maybe," she sighed, "and that doesn't mean that it's a yes, now mind you! It's just not a no." Cloud whooped and bounced the two steps to his mother and hugged her, careful of the knife.

"Thank you." He whispered and Ms. Strife couldn't help the tender smile that overtook her face.

FLASHBACK END

Cloud reached what was supposed to be the registration for the new class; however the tent wasn't there like it said it would be in the flyer. He was sure he was in the right place. The flyer, which he had taken with him from Nibelheim, was wrinkled and stained with Gaia knows what, but he could still clearly make out the date and time… the date….

"Oh SHIT!" Cloud shouted, scaring an old man walking in front of him. Yes, he was supposed to be in from of ShinRa Corp at noon, but not until three months from now. He always knew he was a blond at heart not only at hair, but still, even for him this was a little much. He groaned as he moved to the side of the street, where there was an alley way between the ShinRa building and another. Crouching down, and planting his face on his knees, Cloud never noticed in his self misery and chastising, the three bulky men sneaking up on him from behind out of the darkness of the alley.

"Well, it looks like we have ourselves a lost kitten." A deep voice drawled. Cloud jumped up and whirled around, only to be shoved against the side of the brick building before he could even get his baring. He grunted on impact, and his suitcase and satchel went flying deeper into the back of the alley.

"More like a chocobo, wouldn't you say?" a whiny voice, said to Cloud's left. The first man still had him pinned to the wall by his shirt and was slowly bringing his arm up, cutting off his precious supply of oxygen. Cloud choked and brought his hands up to clutch and the man's wrist. They laughed, just as black began to dance across his vision and a high pitched buzzing started in his ears. In a last ditch attempt to free himself, Cloud brought up his right leg and kick the man close to the groin.

It connected with a thwack, and the man cursed, dropping Cloud harshly onto the ground, where he immediately started coughing and wheezing, eyes watering.

"You little piece of shit!" the man roared. Cloud looked up in time to see the man, who had short, buzzed brown hair, raise his left foot and bring it down on Clouds side. _Crack. _He screamed as he felt something give in his side, and then passed out.

**~XxXxX**

"Hellooooo, are you dead?" a soft, melodic voice called. Cloud groaned and his eyes fluttered open only to be met by darkness, and a blurry shape crouched next to him. He yelped, and flung himself back, only to whimper as his side protested. Curling onto his side, Cloud tried, with as minimal pain as possible, look towards the voice again. It appeared to be a woman dressed in a pink sun dress with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm fine," he said between clenched teeth, "just peachy actually." She flinched slightly at his biting tone of voice and Cloud sighed.

"I'm sorry, it's just my side _really_ hurts right now so…." She smiled in forgiveness.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Can you get up? My name's Aerith by the way." She, Aerith, offered a sweet smile and put out her hand to help him stand up. Cloud smiled back and grabbed her hand, gingerly dragging himself off the ground.

"Name's Cloud." He grimaced. Son of a… Ouch, it hurt just to breathe. _How the hell do I get myself into these things?_ After he stood up, Cloud leaned against the alley wall for support, and tried to catch his breath. He wanted to be in SOLDIER and this was all he could withstand? He could hear the bullies from back home.. _Wimp.. Freak.. Fa-_

"Hello, anyone in there?" Aerith giggled as Cloud jumped and blushed. He gave her a bashful look and a shy smile.

"Sorry. Um, have you seen a couple of bags around here by any chance?" Cloud had a sinking feeling that he had lost more then just his consciousness.

"No you were alone when I found you." Cloud sighed is resignation. He knew it, jumped and mugged. Maybe he should have just stayed home like his mother wanted after all….

"Did someone steal your bags? Oh Cloud, that's terrible! What about your money? Do you still have any on you?" Cloud checked the back pocket of his black extremely tight skinny jeans and shook his head no when he found his wallet was also missing. Aerith looked, well it was more of a squint in the dim lighting, at him for a while. Cloud started to get uncomfortable and fidgety when the minutes passed and she still didn't utter anything.

Suddenly she reached over and grabbed his forearm, smiling.

"Well, then I guess you can stay with me!"

"HUH?"

**~XxXxX**

"Here it is, home sweet home. I hope you like it." Here was a small surprisingly well kept house in the slums. It was quant and cozy, but maybe a tad drafty. The door had crakes in it and the paint was peeling off, but the furniture inside was well worn and obviously loved. The front yard was just dirt with little grass, seeing as there was little sunlight, however on the outside window sills, there were extreme amounts of potted plants, all in full bloom.

There were four rooms to the whole, small house; a bathroom, a miniscule kitchen, a bedroom, and the living room which housed the door leading outside.

The living room was painted a warm brown, sort of like freshly turned dirt. A beige couch sat to the left side, if you were coming in the front door. There was no TV but that was to be expected from a house in the slums. The bathroom might have been white once upon a time, but wear and tear had turned the walls yellow over the years. The smog and overall dimness of the slum didn't help the color either. The kitchen was surprisingly well kept for a slums house. The walls were tiled summer sunshine yellow and the floor had black, cracked linoleum flooring, reminding him of summer time bees. Cloud hated bees. _Buzzzzzz.._

Aerith's bedroom set the overall theme for the house. It was pink, not obnoxiously so mind you, but it was covered in flowers. There were pots everywhere over the house, but her bedroom was positively overflowing with them. A queen sized bed was placed in the middle of the room. There was a chest of drawers to the right of the bed, and a window to the left of the bed, also covered in hanging plants that eagerly lapped up the small amounts of sunlight that broke through to the slums After the grand tour, Cloud felt like he would _never_ want to ever go back in to her bedroom ever again. It was just too much… eh, everything.

"Are you sure Aerith?" Cloud asked for like the millionth time. He really didn't think this was a good idea. Sure, it saved him time and the gray hairs, whatever grey hairs a fifteen year old could get, trying to find an apartment he couldn't afford because he was mugged, but it was so odd that a complete stranger was offering to board him at her house. She hadn't even asked why he was in Midgar in the first place. It really apparent that he wasn't from the big city because if his accent and for all she knew, he could be some deranged serial killer… Not that he was, by the way.

"It's fine Cloud. I live alone, so it's not like someone can say that you can't stay." She laughed, "They only one who _might_ mind is my boyfriend, but I don't think that he will" _Maybe_, she added in her head. Aerith was pretty sure that Zack wouldn't care after seeing how adorable the boy was, but you never knew with him. Sometimes Zack was just so overprotective that it was annoying.

_So she has a boyfriend. Umm, not that I was interested or anything, I just really don't want to get beat up again. What if he thinks that I'm a pervert or something? Oh GOD, I'M GOING TO DIE! GOODBYE SWEET, SHORT FIFTEEN YEARS OF MY LIFE! _Clouds mental panic was interrupted by a soft giggle.

"You okay Cloud? You look kinda pale." Aerith reached out and felt his forehead, "You don't have a fever."

"I'm fine Aerith. Just, are you sure? I mean really, really sure that I can stay here?" Cloud didn't realize that he was giving Aerith his killer puppy dog look, and it was highly affective with Cloud's bright blue eyes and cute spiked hair.

_Oh, Zack, you'll take one look and ask if we can keep him. Tee hee._

"Of course Cloud." Aerith giggled.

**~XxXxX**

I had been two weeks since Aerith had taken Cloud in, and most of the time was spent trying to make his ribs better. Fortunately, the rib hadn't pierced a lung or caused any serious internal damage, but they had discovered it was broken. Cloud had difficulties moving at first and had kept stationary most of the time on the couch. Cloud, after a debate with Aerith, took residence in the living.

Aerith had wanted to put Cloud in her bedroom and take the couch because Cloud was injured. Cloud however was not very pleased with the idea. The flowers made him nauseous, and the smell..yuck.. He hadn't wanted to tell Aerith he couldn't take so many sweet smells at once because she seemed to love them so much, but he had almost decided to. Cloud still hadn't met the elusive boyfriend either. He actually didn't want to meet Zack, not yet anyway. Aerith told Cloud about how Zack was a SOLDIER, and Cloud had just about fainted when he had heard. It would be so embarrassing if a man who was in SOLDIER learned that Cloud had been mugged, beaten and knocked out, only to be rescued by the man's girlfriend. Not the greatest way to introduce yourself to someone who's going to be your boss. It's also not a good first impression considering that his boss was a military boss. Sir, yes sir!

Now, Cloud was just wandering around the slums. It was two in the afternoon and surprisingly, his ribs only hurt a slight amount. Sector Seven is where all the shops are, but Aerith's house is in Sector Five, near an old abandoned church (1). It was quite a walk to the shops from Sector Five, but after being cooped up in the house for so long, Cloud just wanted to get away from Aerith. Sure, she was nice and all, but she was kind of an annoying chatter box.

There was trash everywhere. Piles and piles of it surrounded the narrow strip of dirt that led to Wall Market. Cloud was just meandering down it when he saw a flash of red in his peripheral vision. Startled, Cloud turned to see what it was, but he didn't find anything. Spooked, he turned back to the road, only to jump a mile in the air and scream. Standing in front of him was a tall man wearing a rumpled suit. He had goggles on his head and a red rat's tail going down the whole length of his back. He also had red tattoos, at least Cloud thought they were tattoos, under each eye.

"Yo, whatcha doin' hangn' 'round Miz Aerith?" The man drawled slowly as he circled around the teenager, like a dangerous predator. He was very intimidating, especially to Cloud, a country boy in the slums of Midgar.

"N-n-nothing. Um, she's letting m-me stay at her place." Cloud gulped, not knowing why he was telling the stranger personal information. _I knew it was a bad idea to stay with Aerith. I just knew it. I mean, who walks up to a stranger and asks them what they're doing at someone's house. It's none of their business. Wait, is he going to mug me? Oh, mannn…._

"Hmmm, roger that yo." The little blond boy couldn't be one of Hojo's men, that's for sure. He was too innocent, and that's what Tseng sent Reno to investigate. When the blond boy had suddenly popped out of no where two weeks ago, the Turks had been cautious at first. If he was a danger to Aerith they wanted to make sure that he didn't think he was being watched. If he, the blond, thought that he was being watched and he was a professional then it was highly possible that he would kill Aerith before they could even say 'Oh, poop…'. When it had become apparent that he was safe to approach, Tseng opted to send in Reno. The man could be threatening when need be, and he also knew that slums the best out of all the Turks. Well, maybe besides Tseng.

After watching the little guy, Reno had decided asking questions directly would work best. He seemed a little ditzy and Reno was almost one hundred percent sure that the blonde wasn't a threat. He didn't have that aura of danger. Tseng has also noticed the boy's nonthreatening aura, but he wasn't the Commander of the Turks for nothing. He hadn't wanted to take the chance Aerith might get hurt out of negligence.

"Well, if Miz Aerith is takin' care a ya, then I guess we don't have a problem. Watch ya back kid, you're way to naïve for this place." With that Reno sauntered back to his surveillance post, making sure that along the way he wasn't being followed. Tseng was waiting for him there. In the junk grave yard that surrounded the old church, there was a tent set up that the Turks used for daily surveillance. Tseng was standing in front of a monitor in his perfectly tailored Turk blue suit. Reno still couldn't figure out after all the years he had been in the Turks, how Tseng kept so crisp and professional when it was sweating balls outside.

"Well?" Tseng barely had to raise his voice to be in command. The man was looking a video feed of Cloud walking towards Sector Five. He was just reaching the doors to wall market and the train station. The kid looked way too easy to pickpocket, but somehow the pickpockets seemed to avoid him. It was probably because he had been seen around with Aerith. She was a well respected person in the slums. The Turks having her back only made her feared as well. Putting it lightly, Aerith was well protected, and through her, Cloud as well. Even if he didn't know that yet.

"He seems fine, Boss. He's way too nice to be a threat. Probably just some lost kid. I wouldn't worry." Reno leaned against the foldable table. He seemed wholly unconcerned.

"It's our job to worry. The Turks cannot allow failure." _Because everyone knew that failure meant death._

"Jeez, Boss. I get it. Chillax." Reno smirked, "Spoil sport. I'll go trail the kid I guess. See ya Boss." Reno walked towards the tent flap.

"And Reno," Tseng waited until Reno looked back at him from the doorway, "You were a little heavy on the accent. You should work on that." Tseng's face was blank, and so were his eyes but Reno would bet a million dollars of the Presidents money that the man was laughing at him on the inside.

Scowling, Reno headed out. As much as he respected the man, he didn't need him telling him that his accent, the one he grew up with was too thick. Everyone talked like that. At least they did six years ago(2). Hmm, maybe the boss man was right….

**~XxXxX**

Cloud wandered along the pathway until he had came to the heavy, graffiti-covered metal doors of Wall Market. He was still disturbed by the encounter with that creepy red head. _What was his problem? Walking around and sneaking up on me like that. People just don't do that. Stupid Ginger._

Wall Market was much more intimidating then the junk piles of Sector Five. There were masses of people hanging around all corners of the place; each little group of people seemed to be different then the next, both in age and race. Wall Market was designed in a circular pattern with the door on one side, and the steps to the train station on the other. Shops piled upon each other in unorganized clumps.

Each clump of shops seemed to have a designated ethnic group. The natives of the slums were in the middle of the square, making a little island in the circle. The Wutians seemed to be pushed into a corner. Walking in from the slums, they were to the left. How a circle could have a corner though, Cloud didn't know.

He immediately walked to the right, avoiding the Wutian people. They looked like they wouldn't accept business from a pale blond boy anyway. There were several clothes shops; jeans, turtle necks, sweatshirts, and cool hoodies. Everything was overpriced and nothing was of really good quality. All the shops seemed to be fake with no credentials. Further along, there was a shop that sold materia. The shop looked more like a lemonade stand, but he didn't care. Cloud was enthralled. He had never seen materia before and he hadn't thought that he would see any until he was a cadet, or even until SOLDIER.

There was so much of it. Green, blue, red, white; there was so many. Cloud didn't know what was what. He just stood there for a couple minutes taking in the sight with awe. The vendor looked like he was getting antsy. He finally got fed up with the stupid blonde kid standing and looking at his merchandise. He didn't need no pickpocket stealing his stuff.

"Hey kid, ya goin' buy somethin'?" Cloud shook his head no. He only had a little bit of money that Aerith had given him and he didn't feel right spending that. No, today Cloud was just seeing what was there.

"Well then, get lost punk" The man snarled over the broken counter. Cloud scampered in the opposite direction, unwittingly heading into the Wutian section of the slums. He really wasn't looking where he was going either. Otherwise he would have seen the man giving the little girl a hard time. He would have also seen the man backhand the girl into his path. But Cloud wasn't paying attention and he didn't see this so he rammed right into the tiny little thing, both of them landing harshly on the ground. Cloud landed on his bum painfully, his ribs protesting loudly, with the little girl between his legs. The girl automatically started bawling on the ground and Cloud felt like a rotten piece of Chocobo poop.

"Hey, are you okay?" Cloud was panicking. The little girl was wearing a lavender colored dress that was now covered in black mud. He sat up from where he fell and went to reach out to touch her hair. His hand never made it. Cloud was harshly pulled away from the girl. His arm was twisted painfully behind his back and he felt the prick of a metal against his already abused rib cage.

"Don't you dare touch her, you mainland scum!" a rough, gravelly accented voice growled in his ear. Cloud's vision started to blur with tears. The grip was extremely painful and he was terrified of the knife that was pressed against his side. It was worse than when he was ambushed in the alleyway above plate.

"I d-didn't mean t-to! I, um." Cloud whimpered. He was so scared. He had heard that Wutians were savages. _Oh, man. I'm going to die!_

"Leave him alone, Hibiki. He didn't mean to run into her. If you want to blame anyone, blame that _aho_(3)over there." A woman with long black hair gently pulled the man's knife away from Cloud's side. She was wearing the traditional Wutian garb. The only problem about it was that it was short, _extremely _short. It barley fell to her thighs. Cloud blushed and quickly looked away. Why someone would wear something so short was beyond him! Gross!

The man, Hibiki, huffed but let Cloud go. He landed on the ground _again, _painfully too. God dammit! After quickly, but gingerly scrambling to his feet, he looked around to take in the scene. The man in the suit was long gone and it was only the Wutian people who were surrounding the girl in concerm. There was an old, wrinkly woman who held her gently in her arms. The girl was still whimpering and sobbing but not to the degree that she had been. The lady was gently talking in Wutian.

"Get out of here kid." An older man with white hair down to his shoulder blades said. He gently pushed Cloud to the outskirts of the gang of people. Grateful, Cloud ran as hard as he possibly could away from the market and back to Aerith's house.

"How was your trip Cloud?" the young women was gently smiling at Cloud.

"You don't even want to go there." Cloud wheezed, out of breath from the run home. Then he walked over to the couch and passed out. In a manly way of course.

**~XxXxX**

It was two weeks before Cloud went back to Wall Market. It was a little colder and there was a slight chill whipping through the din. Walking slowly, Cloud entered the metal doors, noticing new graffiti on the door, and went automatically to the right, away from the Wutian market.

"Um, mister?" a soft, high pitched voice called. Cloud turned towards the sound, and to his surprise it was the little girl from a couple weeks ago. She was wearing yellow sundress today, one that was void of mud. "You're the one who ran into me right?"

Cloud winced. That hadn't been one of his brightest moments. "Yeah." Cloud mumbled under his breath. He blushed bright red and cursed his nordicness as the little girl giggled.

"You're a lobster mister. Hee, it's funny. I'm Maiko!" She held out a little hand for Cloud to shake, and he couldn't help but laugh at her cuteness.

"Cloud." He gently took her hand and barely moved it up and down, afraid to touch her.

"That's not how you should do it. Here, I'll show you!" Maiko started pumping Cloud's hand all the way up to her little shoulder and Cloud played along, almost lifting the girl off the ground as she giggled. However, the laughter soon stopped as Cloud emitted a very _manly_ squeak when he was hauled away from the Maiko. Laying on the ground from where the strong hands had thrown him, Cloud realized it was the same man who had grabbed him the first time; Hibiki if he remembered correctly.

"You again, kuzo? Causing problems for our little girl?" The man didn't have a knife this time, but that didn't make him any less intimidating for a country hick like Cloud, though by Midgar standards anyone who came from Wutai also was a hick.

Shaking his head no, Cloud scrambled to his feet and turned to walk away. A loud wail sounded from behind him and Cloud looked back, kind scared of what he'd find. Maiko has throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of Wall Market. Hibiki was panicking, a frantic look on his face, and Cloud burst out laughing. Both of them looked at him; Maiko no longer crying and Hibiki turned red in the face from anger. _Oh Shit!_ Cloud thought.

Just as Hibiki was going for Cloud again, Maiko stepped in between them, acting as is her little body would stop the gigantic hulk heading towards Cloud._ Dear Gaia, he's going to eat me!_

"NO! Don't hurt my friend! He's nice." Maiko shouted and then lapsed into a pout as the bigger man stared at her. Sighing he walked away again.

_What's wrong with these people? First he yells at me and threatens me, and then he just walks away…. And on top of that, I get a knife shoved at my back and thrown to the ground, several time! I don't know if my butt can handle all the rough action_(4).

Cloud almost bit his tongue when the man returned, thinking that Hibiki could have heard his thoughts somehow. _Were people telepathic? _Cowering before the man, he missed the old lady studying him.

"A little thin to be threatening ain't he?" startling at the sudden voice, Cloud peered behind Hibiki to see an extremely short grandma standing there and looking at him from behind circular wire glasses. She had graying hair and severe scarring lining her arms from where they peeked out of the edges of her lavender kimono.

Cloud realized that she was the women from before, the one who had been comforting the little girl when she fell the other day. Hopefully, she wouldn't be as violent as Hibiki. Not that Cloud was scared. She couldn't have been bigger then a chawawa… a very scary chawawa!

"Hello, ma'am." Cloud nodded his head respectfully. It seemed like a it would be a very, very bad idea to piss her off. Despite being the size of a flea… And from Cloud at five foot four inches and one hundred and twenty four pounds, that was saying a lot.

"Ha, ma'am makes me feel old. Call me Mima(5)." The old bat replied in good nature. Cloud smiled; relieved he had finally found someone sane. It was about ti-

"And just to make myself crystal clear, touch my granddaughter, and I'll make sure no one ever finds the pieces. Got that kid?" lighting up her pipe, Mima let a sardonic smile stretch across her lips. _Is no one normal in this city? These people are fucking crazy. Like.. like a __Bahamut__ tripping on acid. Imagine a dancing hulk dressed in a sparkly tutu. I'm screwed!_

"I said, got that kid?" Jumping, Cloud stuttered an affermintive. Mima smirked in glee. It seemed the blonde kid was nice enough, if a little naïve. But, that would make it fun to torture.. tease him.

"Good, I like you kid. Even though you're a little quite. Speak up when I'm talking to you boy." Mima cackled internally when Cloud snapped out a quick "Yes, Mima!"

**~XxXxX**

A month had flown by for a busy Cloud. Reno had made contact with Cloud again when the kid had almost been attacked again. It was only the redhead's quick thinking that saved the blonde a lot of pain and humiliation. It had been two days after meeting Mima, and Cloud was walking around, only exploring really, which wasn't the smartest thing to do, especially at ten o'clock at night.

FLASHBACK

Cloud wandered off the path to look at the trash littering the ground. Maiko, a little bundle of seven year old wisdom, told Cloud that some cool things could be found in the trash. Cloud had brushed it off, assuming that there couldn't be anything of real value in the trash, and cool to a seven year old girl does not equal cool to a sixteen year old boy. No matter how many times two plus two equal fish(6). But later that evening, he had heard from that crazy bat herself, that scrape metal and unbroken bottles fetched a handsome price in the slums. Big surprise.

So, late at night, when the minimal light in the slums was reduced to next to nothing, Cloud was picking through the smelly garbage. The blonde was wearing neon green high tops, which Aerith had got him, with his black skinny jeans and a neon green hoodie, which Aerith had also purchased for him. Cloud decided that mooching off of Aerith forever just didn't sit right with him. Not only is he living in her house for free, he was eating her food for free and now she was buying him things. She had told Cloud that he didn't have to pay her back, but money was tight and he felt bad enough as it was without Aerith buying him extra stuff that he didn't need. Not that he didn't like the high tops and hoodie she bought for him. They were nice gestures really, but needing money, Cloud searched the trash.

Cloud's clothes and hair were so bright that it looked like a floating head and torso and leg less feet picking through the trash. That's how, even in the dingy lighting of the after dark slums, the two men found Cloud. Both were certainly taller then Cloud in a sort of gangly malnourished way, not that it's such a hard thing to do, but they would never be super muscular. Too many missed meals and drugs and seen to that. No, it was what they were carrying that scared Cloud.

A handgum.

"Heh, looking for something, pretty boy?" one spoke cockily, "anything I can help you… find?" both sniggered hysterically. _Little fuckers! If he didn't have a gun I'd defiantly locate something. Balls meet foot! And pretty boy… asshole!_

"I think you shocked him silent, Ryan." the medium brown haired boy crowed. The black haired boy youth laughed and waved the gun around a little.

"You might be right Chase. Should I shock him some more?" Not waiting for an answer, Ryan stepped forward and Reno, who had been observing from the safety of the shadows finally had had enough.

"Yo! Wassup chocobo head?" stepping out from behind the two offenders, Reno grabbed Ryan's wrist with one hand and put his other on the safety of the gun. A quick twist and pressure applied from opposite directions broke Ryan's wrist. The teenager fell to the ground, sniveling and whimpering. Chase was long gone, had been since Reno ninja-ed out of no where.

"Yo, get lost punk. I see ya' hangin' 'round my buddy Cloud 'gain, I'll break more then ya' wrist. Kapeesh, yo?" Reno purred dangerously. Ryan floundered his way from the blonde freak and red headed guard dog.

"Ya' all right yo?" Reno asked. Cloud was stunned. _First he threatens me, now he's saving me… I swear these people all eat crazy pills in the morning._

"Yeah, thanks. Um." Cloud trailed off, sheepish. He didn't know the guy's name. It hadn't come up in conversation. _What conversation?_(7)

"Name's Reno, yo. Remember it" Reno wisely decided not to add the "because you'll be screaming it later." Not that he would sleep with the kid, a little too innocent for his tastes. Cloud just probably wouldn't appreciate a sexual joke at that moment.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Reno was thrown for a loop and that wasn't easy to do. He never would have guesses that shy, quite Cloud would ask to be taught fighting. He thought that Cloud would have been like "Nice to meet you." and blush. Not ask a blunt question with a look of steel determination in his eyes. Maybe he had underestimated the kid.

"I could," Reno scratched his temple absentmindedly, just to make the guy sweat a little, "well, why not?" Reno barked out a laugh when Cloud's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

And that's how Cloud's martial arts training began. As a Turk who specialized in a night stick, Reno was required to learn a certain amount of hand-to-hand combat because of the short range. After much grumbling and whining, a week of Turk training went by. Reno, at age seventeen, decided that if he hadn't already known that his heart belonged to the night stick, he probably would have become a hand-to-hand specialist. Reno knew several types of fighting styles and he was teaching all of them to Cloud. The boy needed all the help he could get with his cherub-innocent yet naughty look that just attracted all sorts of evil beings.

Cloud was timid as first, but after being knocked on his ass a couple of times, he finally bared his fangs. Snarling, Cloud lashed out with his leg, completing an all most perfect roundhouse kick, his height versus Reno's the only thing hindering it. Surprised, Reno almost couldn't react to the open palm uppercut to his jaw that followed. Side stepping to the left and grabbing Cloud's wrist as it passed by where his head had been a moment before, Reno slung Cloud over his hip and flipped the blonde onto the ground.

Landing hard in a mass of twisted limbs, Cloud coughed, trying to get air into his emptied lungs. When he finally caught his breath, he was pissed, but mostly disappointed. Reno had been going over the moves for a week, just running through the motions so Cloud could memorize them, which he had no difficulty doing. Cloud might not be people smart, but he was certainly book smart… Without the actual books.

Reno was stunned. The boy had only been learning martial arts of a week at the most. Normally it should take months to become this advanced in technique. Cloud's power and speed was the thing that was holding him back. The kid was physically weak and seriously lacking in speed and confidence and it was only the adrenaline rush that enabled Cloud to nearly decapitate Reno, figuratively speaking.

"Not bad yo." Reno laughed. Cloud was pouting so hard he looked like a chocobo with its feathers ruffled.

"But you dodged it." Cloud whined. _I guess I'll always be weak an-_ Cloud glared at Reno when the man started busting a gut.

"Ha, take it easy yo. Of course ya' not gonna take me down after a week of theory. Ya' need to build up your strength first. Come, follow the leader yo."

Reno led Cloud back to Wall Market, but they didn't actually go in. Cloud was confused, but then he finally noticed the crack in the wall just past the doors to Wall Market. _It's huge! How did I not notice this before?_ Feeling stupid, Cloud flushed bright red and lost himself in his ramblings.

Yelping, he rubbed his nose. He had just run right into Reno's back. It was like running into a wall. I thin, bony wall. Not that Cloud would know what running into a wall feels like.

"We'll use this yo." Cloud looked up and squealed in joy. It was a playground. A little rusted and grimy, but it was still gold to little old Cloud. In Nibelheim, the only playground was the one Tifa Lockheart had and they, to say the least, did _not_ get along.(8)

The idiosyncratic playground was completely enclosed except for the one entrance. A tall semi-rusted slide stood proud in the middle of the area. The ground was made of entirely of sand. It was a sandlot. Several kinds of monkey bars and jungle gyms littered the place and what looked like to be a balancing beam off to the side.

Reno led them over to a pair of money bars. They were slightly rusted and moldy. Cloud's face scrunched up in disgust.

"Now, do twenty pull ups yo!" Reno grinned at the blonde's facial expressions. The kid really was no good at hiding his feelings. Cloud went from being disgusted, to shocked, to angry and then to resigned in a matter of two seconds. Sighing, Cloud leapt up and clutched at the bar. The mold covering it made it hard not to fall off. He tried to pull himself up and his arms screamed and he got half way up before falling flat on his ass.

"This should be fun you." Reno sarcastically commented, already looking forward to training the little wimp.

END FLASHBACK

Now, Cloud can do more then half a pull up. Fifty is no challenge for him. Reno as him started on a strict training regimen. One of Cloud's exercises is to stand in a hand stand position and do push ups. It targets his shoulder muscles, forearm muscles and his core muscles. Originally Cloud had complained enough that Reno let him use a wall for balance, but no more. Every day six reps of twenty are expected to be done, if not more.

Running is his least favorite thing to do. Sprinting is great, jogging is acceptable but walking is "not cool yo!" If Cloud's outside, Reno expected him to being running to and from his destination, not slacking off by walking there. As much as Cloud hated it, it had to be Reno's drill sergeant attitude that was getting the results. He knew that is he tried to work out on his own, he wouldn't get even a quarter of the amount done that Reno has him doing.

A fun work out that Cloud remembered was the day that Reno covered one of the jungle gyms in wire.

"Touch it and you're dead. Breathe on it and you're dead. Look at it and you're dead… Yo." Reno said the moment Cloud jogged into the sandlot.

"What am I supposed to do?" Cloud replied, refusing to even look at the thing.

"Go through it you." Reno smirked. Gullible is your middle name.

Cloud, being the little blond boy from up north, had no clue that Reno was joking. Sure, his people skills had come a long way since Nibelheim, but he still believed a lot of things that he shouldn't have. Like the looking and breathing part. Cloud spent a couple minutes staring at the wires covering the jungle gym. _Oh man, it's going to be hard to go through that thing without looking…_

"Bhaaa Haaaaa! Relax kid, just try to get ta' the other side." Reno chuckled. Blushing furiously, Cloud hurried to the entrance of the wire trap. The opening wasn't very big and wire wound in and out of the bars tightly. Cloud put his foot onto the lowest bar and heisted himself up. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as Reno made it out to be. Cloud was naturally flexible and that really helped in the long run. He completed the course with ease, and with absolutely no marks or cuts.

"Hmph, now do it backwards."

Cloud had done it so many times that eventually he had done it with his eyes closed the whole way. Cloud greatest weakness was his flexibility. He didn't know how to use it. It could he his greatest strength, but it was useless at this point in time. The kid was pretty damn flexible. It's what compromised Clouds initial roundhouse kick. If he could have just jumped and then kicked at Reno, he wouldn't have been able to dodge to the side as easily and flip him.

Jump rope, despite Cloud extreme embarrassment, was a staple in his training program. Five thousand to six thousand a day. Cloud's stamina improved, but it was still humiliating that day a little girl and her mother had been at the playground. The women had told her daughter to "stay away from the strange boy." Reno had only snickered at the look on Cloud's face and doubled the jump roping for that day sadistically.

Parkour was Cloud's pride and joy though. Reno had been late to training one day when suddenly the ginger back flipped over a wall and into the playground. Before, Cloud had never noticed the whole slum was just high walls that don't exactly touch the top plate. _How the hell does anyone notice these things? It's pitch black up there!_

Cloud picked it up easily and was now surpassing Reno at it. Cloud could back flip out of the way of kicks and punches and front flip over his opponent to land behind him and deliver a clever blow to the spine. Backhand springs were becoming easier for Cloud too, who would use them to avoid forward attacks.

As it stood, Cloud was much stronger then he had been. Aerith noticed it too. His arms were starting to look like more than sticks and his jeans were getting tight.

"Cloud? Are you home?" Aerith just got back from Wall Market. She picked up some jeans for Cloud. All of them were skinny jeans like he liked them, but they were designed for muscular skinny people rather then anorexic skinny people.

"Yeah." Cloud came out of the kitchen, holding a chicked and cheese sandwich.

"You better have a plate magically appear out of thin air, because I know you're not going to eat that on _my_ couch without at least a napkin."

Sheepishly, Cloud returned to the kitchen. "Sorry Aerith."

"It's okay honey, I just don't want ants. You sleep on the couch, and I know that wouldn't be fun."

"Yeah." Cloud was too absorbed in his food to really care. Boys will be boys. That was until her noticed the bags that Aerith had set down.

"You didn't get me something again did you?" he was concerned. Sure, he had started a job with Mima, but it really wasn't all that much and Cloud still hadn't paid her back for the first couple of weeks.

"Don't worry about it Cloud. You're going to need new clothes for tomorrow anyways." Cloud looked at her funny.

"What's tomorrow?"

"… Didn't you have that exam?"

"OH SHIT!"

**~XxXxX**

Author's Note:

I hoped you liked it. Not the first story I've written, but it's certainly the longest, even though it's only the first chapter.

(1) I don't really know what sectors are what, but Sector Five has the Church, while Sector Seven has Wall Market.

(2) Reno's 23 btw. He joined when he was seventeen. I made him younger then Sephiroth, who's going to be 24, because there will be later issues with age between them.

(3) I'm using japanese romanji for the wutian parts. There will never be full sentences in it cause I hate that when some puts that in their stories, but there will be bits and pieces.

(4) If you have to ask what I meant, you should leave now and never look back X]

(5) I have a friend who calls her grandma Mima, so I had the old hag as Cloud calls her, use that as her temporary name. She has an actual name, and I might be reviled later… Maybe :]

(6) Fairy Odd Parents… Amazing cartoon, but not as amazing as invader zim, which will be making a cameo in a later chapter now that I have the idea. Look forward to it.

(7) Cloud really likes to hear himself talk… Or think in this case. Is it annoying?

(8) Yeah, I don't like Tifa. Don't expect her to appear very much in this. In this universe, Cloud never promised to protect her. In fact, he doesn't even like her, but that's a different story.

Reviews would be lovely, but no pressure. I don't know when the next update it going to be because procrastination is my middle name but expect it in a month if I try really hard… 2 I'm I study for exams and 3-4 if I forget about it.

*Sephy Pooh Bear*


	2. Fashionista

Happy Birthday Ro! I know it's a little early but… :]

Word Count: 5507

Disclaimer: Look at the first chapter.

Fashionista by Jimmy James

Everybody line up  
>The show is about to start<br>Places, the show is about to start  
>You have to show a look, have a look, or give a look<br>Faces, beautiful  
>No one ugly allowed<br>(Laughing)

Are you ready? Here we go

Fashion is the art, designers are the gods  
>Models play the part of angels in the dark<br>Which one of you would ever dare to go against  
>That beauty is a trade and everyone is paid<p>

Fashionista, how do you look?  
>Fashionista, how do you look?<p>

New York, London, Paris, Milan  
>Tokyo, I think it's in Japan<br>Asia, Malaysia, Las Vegas to play  
>LA, if you pay my way<p>

Fashionista, how do you look?  
>Fashionista, how do you look?<br>Fashionista, how do you look?  
>Fashionista, how do you look?<p>

(Who you wearing?)  
>Sean John, Calvin Klein<br>Donna Karan's fashion line  
>Valentino, YSL<br>Ferragamo and Chanel  
>Holsten, Gucci, Figla, Rucci<br>Don't forget my Pucci  
>Fendi and Armani<br>God, I miss Gianni  
><span>Kenneth Cole<span>, Michael Korrs  
>Mr. Ford I can't afford<br>D&G and BCBG  
>Looking good is never easy<br>Alexander Perkovich  
>Naomi Campbell such a bitch<br>I wanna be Delgada  
>To fit into my Prada<br>Oscar de la Renta  
>Louis Vuitton<br>Imitation of Christ, beauty has a price

Fashionista, how do you look?  
>Fashionista, how do you look?<br>Fashionista, how do you look?  
>What are you wearing?<br>**~XxXxX**

Fashionista

**~XxXxX**

Cloud raced to the black and red booth in front of the looming ShinRa building. The large stand was overflowing with boys trying to sign up. A line went all the way to the end of the block. Cloud groaned in annoyance. _Why did Aertith have to make me late? Don't forget you coat Cloud. Don't forget your wallet Cloud. Don't forget this, don't forget that! Grrrr, this line goes on forever._ Grumbling the whole way, he moved towards the end of the line. As Cloud walked down the sidewalk, he became aware of the boys staring at him. Some looked at him with lust, others with contempt. Three months ago, he never would have noticed the stares, but spending time with Reno had made him more aware of his surroundings. To not pay attention when the ginger was around was deadly. _Geez, do I have something on my face? Did I forget to put pants on or something?_ Still though, poor little Cloud didn't realize quite yet what his very good looks were doing to people.

Some thought that the Nordic boy was out of his league because he was so small. Others saw that he had muscular arms and legs for someone of pipsqueak orientation. That made him a threat in the exams. Others just laughed at his clothes. In his trade mark black skinnies and a hot pink wife beater all topped with shiny new black high tops and a black hooded blazer. Cloud looked like a fashionista rather than someone signing up for the military.

Not really paying attention, he finally wandered to the end of the line. There, he heard the group of boys in front of him talking.

"Yeah, you're supposed to be sixteen to sign up. I thought that you could be fifteen because you can sign up for SOLDIER at age sixteen, but I guess you have to be SOLDIER applicable to get into the training class."

"Dude, applicable? What the hell does that even mean?.. Anyways, that sucks! I'm gonna fib it. There's no way they can tell."

Worrying, Cloud started to think… _Hmmm, I'm fifteen, and if I'm supposed to be sixteen, then that's a huge problem! What am I going to do? I'm not good at lying, and Reno says that I wear my emotions on my face.. Whatever that means. I can't be that bad. If the idiots in front of me can do it, I can too!_

And with that wonderful boost of confidence that carried him all the way to the front Cloud made it up there… and sunk right into the depths of despair. _They can tell! I mean, just look at 'em!_ Sitting in the chilly air, two SOLDIER Second Class sat after having the luck to draw the short straw in the lottery. Next to them, resting on the top of the white foldable table, were forms, pens and a box. Seeing that the man was waiting for him to come forward, Cloud stepped forward anxiously.

The SOLDIER Second Class was dressed in the regular purple colored uniform. His blonde hair glinted dully in the weak sun light. Unlike Cloud's neon blonde hair, his was more of a burnished gold set with dark tan skin.

"Take a form and fill out boxes A through H. When you're done, you'll get a number. Under no circumstances are you to give out this number or forget this number. It's your id number. It will be used to identify you on the written and physical portions of your exam."

Nodding, Cloud took the form and filled it out;

**Name:** _Cloud Summer Strife_

**Age: **_16_

**Hometown: **_Nibelheim_

**Blood type: **_AB_

**Guardian Name: **_Hazel____Strife_

**Siblings: **_None_

**Necessary Medical Information: **_Motion____Sickness_

**Reason For Joining the ShinRa Company?**

_I____want____to____be____able____to____protect____things____that____are____important____to____me__**.**_(1)

While Cloud was filling out the form and various questions, the SOLDIER Second Class was watching him. He noticed that something was wrong with the way that the boy was reading the form. He was going way too slow for it to be normal. Sure, there were people who just read plain slow, but this was pushing it a _little_ too far. When Cloud handed back the completed form, several people had passed through the other line. Blushing and embarrassed, Cloud never noticed the SOLDIER making and extra note on his registration form.

_Possible carrier of extreme or crippling dyslexia. Unknown if subject knows about disability._

"Good, took you long enough." The man paused and Cloud blushed again, "Your number if six hundred and sixty nine. Go into the building through the glass doors there," he paused again to point to the doors, "Inside there should be someone to point you to the appropriate room. Good luck kid."

"Thank you," on a second thought Cloud added a 'sir' to that and earned himself an amused smile and an eye roll. A little more relaxed, Cloud headed into the building. Just like the SOLDIER said, he was immediately whisked into an elevator at the top of a double set of stairs. The button that the lady pushed had then number seven on it, but Cloud had no idea what for until the elevator started moving. Just now realizing that it was in fact an _elevator_, the kind that moved, Cloud started to freak out._OMG, it moves! Ok Cloud, you're got this….. Do Not! I'm gonna dieeeeeeeeee! NOOOOOO!_

Startled by out of his thoughts, Cloud squeaked when the doors opened. A soft giggled filled the elevator.

"This way please." The lady smiled in a friendly manner at Cloud. Relaxing a little, he followed her down the hallway and to the right. There were six doors lining the hall; three on each side. They went to the second one on left. Cloud stepped through after taking a few calming breaths.

Three rows of desks spaced three feet apart lined the room. Most of the desks were already filled with students. Cloud hurried to his desk, dreading the written test already. He had studied before he left Nibelheim and remembered all the information perfectly, but he had always had a problem with putting stuff down on paper. It was why he flunked school back home. He couldn't pass any of the tests. _Well, at least I only need a forty-five to pass,_ Cloud thought with a smile. (2)

**~XxXxX**

Four and a half hours of torture later, Cloud exited the testing room. _Dear Gaia, I think my head's going to fall off! I can't feel my hand… or my wrist…or my right arm for the matter!_

All the boys were herded to the stairs where they had to walk all the way to the foyer on the first ground level. There waiting for them was a SOLDIER First Class.

"Good afternoon boys. It is now two pm and your physical exam starts after you receive all of your instructions. I'm General Angeal Hewley. You may address me as sir and only sir. I am not your friend nor are you close to me in rank. In fact, you don't even have a rank. You are the lowest of the low and must work for the privilege of even saying the last names of the ranking SOLDIERs. Is that understood?"

"Sir yes sir!" All the boys shouted. Thus began the unending torture that was the physical test for SOLDIER. Three hours of pull ups, sit ups, sit and reach, obstacle courses, sprinting, long distance running etc. All in all, Cloud was better off than some of the other boys who were trying out. _If I had tried this without Reno training me, I don't think that I would have made it at all! Thank you my lovely Ginger Cookie…. He doesn't need to know that I said that._

After the last whistle, most of the boys collapsed on the ground. Cloud, being the smarty pants that he was, stretched and walked off the intense physical exercise to avoid cramps. He was whooped.

"All those sitting on the floor, you are dismissed. The army has no need of your services. Thank you for your time and effort. Those still standing please follow me." General Hewley led them up from the track and into the gym. Waiting there for them was another SOLDIER First Class. _AH! There's another porcupine!_

"They're all yours Zack." The stiff General smiled and patted the other SOLDIER, Zack, on the shoulder as he passed by.

"Thanks Angeal." Smiling, Zack turned to address the boys. His eyes scanned the young men, a sharp glint in them. Cloud wasn't fooled by the mans' easy smile and goofy attitude. This man is dangerous.

"Okie doke, you guys have passed your physical exam. Good job! Now, if I call your name it means that you also passed the written exam. You need to pass both to get into the program. Unfortunately, if I don't call your name I'm going to have to ask you to vacate immediately. Capisci?" Not waiting for a replay, Zack started listing the names that had passed both prerequisites. About eight hundred people had tried out. Out of all of them, only one hundred and fifty had made it to the gym. Cloud zoned out until they reached the "s" category.

"Sanchez, Jose. Stewart, Daniel. Strife, Cloud. Trent, Conor…." On and on the list went, but Cloud didn't care. All he cared about was that he was one of the boys to pass both exam._ Take that bitches. Cloud Strife is going to rule the world! Haha suck it Tifa!_ Cloud beamed. He couldn't believe that he passed. Every one said that he wouldn't be able to and now he had. It was exhilarating.

"Attention!" the noise was immediately silenced. "Now, you will be assigned a number. This is your barrack number. There will be ten people per barrack." Zack listed off the numbers. Cloud was in barrack six, the very last barrack. _I can't believe that only sixty people passed. There had been so many in the beginning. I guess that means that I'm just that good!_ Laughing to himself, Cloud pranced in the direction that he was supposed to go, unaware of the wide birth that the other boys were giving him.

**~XxXxX**

Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the hallway of the forty ninth floor of the ShinRa building. Only one door broke the solid white walls. Sephiroth slowly trudged to the entrance to his apartment. He was finally back after a two month long mission. It had been the longest mission that he had had in a while and it slowly drained him as the days progressed. It had been a mission to Wutai. Relations had been good for the past two years since ShinRa had won the war, but now some of the Wutain rebels had joined forces with the anit-ShinRa forces, AVALANCHE. The negotiations had been fair; surrender and the Wutain people would be able to keep their culture, the majority of their land, their money, their trade with other countries and all other rights that Emperor Godo decided that he wanted to keep for his nation. Of course the Emperor had accepted right away. ShinRa was not known to be so lenient with people that they know that they can beat and it was a surprise to even the General to learn how accommodating that the President was being.

Wutai was plentiful in untapped mako; most of the reservoirs also being in uninhabited places such as the many swamps around the country. The Emperor found it unreasonable to fight for the land that they couldn't use. Wutai wasn't technologically advanced enough to turn the swamps in to useable land yet. But he also planned ahead, and one of the terms was that once ShinRa made the swamps bearable he wanted his people to live there free of any ShinRa taxes. "You want our mako, fine. But we want the land that you're getting it from." And from there the deal was set and sealed with friendly terms on both parts.

With the sudden tension in the air, the General had been sent to Wutai to talk to Emperor Godo about possible solutions. The Emperor was enraged. He didn't want the filthy rebels messing up all the hard work that went into securing the country's safety because they didn't like the choices that he made. Sephiroth had tried to placate the man. President ShinRa wasn't angry about the two forces joining. They board had seen it coming; they just hadn't expected it to happen so soon. After discussing it, they decided that they would see what actions the rebel factions would take, but be wary of any and all possible attacks.

Now, Sephiroth was happy just to be home. However, he did have work tomorrow that he wasn't looking forward to, but such is life. He put his house key into the lock and paused for a second. Smirking, Sephiroth opened the door, side stepped and had Zack flying out into the doorway and into the wall across from it, firmly closing and locking the door once he stepping inside.

"Nice try Zack. See you tomorrow."

"Sir yes sir." Zack mumbled, rubbing his forehead, the spot a splotchy red that was already red from the impact with the wall.

"Oh, and Zack?" Sephiroth called through the door.

"Yes Seph?"

"I want that whole in the wall fixed by tomorrow."

"Yes sir." Zack sighed. It was going to be a long night, but at least the General was back. Whistling, Zack got up and walked to the elevator. Next to it was a bucket of plaster to fix the wall, all ready to be used.

**~XxXxX**

_BEEEEPPPPP BEEEPPP BEEEEEEEEE- CRASH!_

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Cloud screamed at the clock that he threw across the room. _It's too fucking early. I think I can get a couple more minu-_

"Good morning my fluffy Cadets! Up and at em'. It's such a bright day, lovely and warm and…." Zack rambled on and on, taking sadistic delight in the groans that the Cadets emitted. It's so fun teasing the waking dead. That's what the SOLDIERs refered to the new Cadets as. They might as well have been; stumbling into walls and passing out from exhaustion. They weren't really classified as living people the first two months of training.

Cloud, the graceful creature that he was, rolled over to pull the blanket over his head, and fell right out of bed. The other Cadets laughed half hardily, unable to muster any enthusiasm this early in the morning, because it wasn't possible for teenage boys to get out of bed at five o'clock in the morning. _Of course I would fall out of bed. It just couldn't start out as a normal day for me could it?_

Cloud was startled when a muscled hand was offered to him. Looking from the wrist up the arm, he was shocked to find that it was the man who had greeted them yesterday in the gym; the SOLDIER First Class.

Óh, it's the porcupine." Cloud blurted without thinking. His eyes went huge and his face turned brick red. _I'm dead._

Surprisingly the man wasn't mad. In fact, he just about fell over laughing.

"Me? Look at you. You're worse than I am. Ha!" Zack wiped his eyes. _This kid is really funny! _ Cloud smiled shyly as the man finally helped him up off the ground. _I can't believe that I just said that. Why isn't he mad?_

"You guys should get to the cafeteria. I wouldn't eat anything though." Zack said to the slowly waking boys.

"Why?" One of the bigger boys mumbled as he rubbed the crust from his eyes.

"You'll see." Zack's cryptic response sent shivers down Cloud's spine and they weren't the good kind of shivers. _That doesn't sound very good._

After a quick scramble to get dressed in time, all the boys of barrack six followed their leader, Zack, down several winding hallways to the cafeteria.

"Doesn't anyone know why ShinRa has such a complex corridor system?" Zack asked, sounding bored. He hated all the required questions. Like anyone's going to answer, they wouldn't want to sound like a know it all.

"Because if there was an attack sir, it would stall the enemy enough for the SOLDIERs to get ready." The quiet blonde who had commented on his hair answered. Zack was shocked that he was daring enough to say that. _Was the kid just begging to be hurt? He's small enough as it is, and with his pretty looks, he doesn't need to come off as a smart ass on top of that._

"Who would be stupid enough to attack _the_ ShinRa building?" one of the boy snorted.

"Oh I don't know maybe AVALANCHE." The blonde boy mumbled under his breath. _Hmmm, I'll have to look him up later._

At the cafeteria, the Cadets received their paper schedules. Cloud took a close look at his schedule and then looked at the schedule of the guy next to him. He did a double take. They were completely different. There are five physical blocks on the schedule and five mental blocks; breakfast, lunch and dinner were also blocked into the schedule. Wake up call at five with breakfast from five thirty to six. Hour-long classes followed. RUN, MIXED MARIAL ART III, CALCULUS I, ENGLISH I, CHEMISTRY I-ORGANIC CHEMISTRY, GYMNASTICS AND SHOWERS, INTRODUCTION TO GUN MASTERY, SWORD WORK I, GLOBAL STUDIES, and WAR TECHNIQUES AND ANALYSIS AND SHOWERS.

"Whatcha got there spiky?" Zack stole the schedule right out of the little blondes' hands, curious to see what classes he was taking. His eyebrows rose to spacetastical levels. _Shit, this kid's smart._

Cloud worried his lip between his teeth. The SOLDIER First Class, Zack he believed his name was, had the strangest look on his face. When Zacks' eyes rose to meet Clouds, Cloud flinched back slightly. Zacks' eyes were piercing, like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

"Hmm, you're pretty smart kid." Zacks' eyes narrowed when Clouds forehead furrowed in confusion.

"Not really sir. I actually have a little trouble sometimes." Cloud was confused. _Why did they put me in advanced classes?_

_ Interesting._ "You better get to class Spike. You don't want to be late on the first day." Zack said, pointing Cloud in the direction of his first class.

"Yes Sir!" Cloud called, walking away quickly because running in the halls was an 'uh on spaghettio' move. (3)

**~XxXxX**

Zack waited for the elevator to get to the thirtieth floor; the floor with the Generals offices. After five minutes, the _ding_ signaled his arrival. Stepping out onto the beige carpet, Zack waved cheerfully to their weekly secretary, Jamie. The regular, Amy, was on maternity leave. Things just weren't the same without her. The other girls, and a couple guys, just couldn't stand up to Sephs' temper. Many who tried ended up in tears. Thus, they had weekly secretaries. Although, with Jamie, she had lasted almost two months, but then again, Seph and been in Wutai. They'd probably have a new one by Monday… I was Monday morning. Eleven o'clock to be exact, three hours after Zack should have been in the office.

Zack continued down the hallway past his office to the left and Angeals' and Genesis' offices to the right, straight to Sephiroths' at the end. Not bothering to knock, Zack slammed the door open, causing several things to rattle in the office and in Genesis' judging by the explicit curse describing just how far his foot was going to go up Zacks' ass.

Walking in, Zack took the leather chair across from Sephs' desk and observed the silver General. Aside from the tired eyes and slight frown, Sephiroth looked good… damn good. Sitting behind a black oak desk in an upright leather chair was a stunningly beautiful man. Well, maybe beautiful wasn't but was the right word. Sephiroth was too muscular to associate the feminine stereotype of the word beautiful with him. But his gorgeous silver hair, luminous blue eyes, cyan eyes, and almost perfect skin made the dangerous General shine. Zack knew that the man could kill him in less than a second if he wanted, even with Masamune absent from the room.

"Done staring, Zack? Or are you going to slack off all day?" Sephiroth drawled. The man didn't even look up from his paperwork.

"You know me, Seph; I turn green at the sight of paperwork." Zack said, throwing his boots up onto an unoccupied corner of the desk, earning him a glare from beneath lowered lashes.

"Remove your disgusting footwear from my desk Zachary." Sephiroth flicked Zacks' boot with a finger, forcing him to either lower his feet to the floor or fall out of his chair.

"Yes sir." Zack dutifully removed his feet and sat in silence. Sighing in annoyance, Sephiroth set down his pen and removed his thin wire frame glasses from his face, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

"Are you going to ask your question or sit there sulking?"

"I'm not sulking Seph, I'm thinking."

"Really? Staring into space qualifies as thinking? I think I should notify the press and tell them of your ground breaking discovery." Sephiroth remarked dryly.

"Ha ha very funny. I really was thinking though. You see, there's this cadet." Zack started.

"Oh?" Sephiroth said softly. He put his glasses back on and picked up his pen, uninterested in wasting his time discussing fresh meat.

"Yeah… Did you know that one of them is taking Calculus I? _And_ Organic Chemistry? He's a new one too, not one of the second semester cadets." Zack spoke offhandedly, like he was trying to blow off the fact that he made such a big deal about a cadet. Despite himself, Sephiroth was intrigued. It wasn't unheard of for a cadet to skip levels on in math or science but to skip to level four math and level six science, it was the first time he had heard of such a thing.

"Name?"

"Cadet Cloud Strife."

"I'll look into it later."

"Sephhhhh"

"Zaaaaaack…. I don't have the time to look up cadets right now. Why don't you look him up yourself?" Sephiroth questioned. Zack mumbled something under his breath. Sephiroth heard it as clearly as if Zack has shouted in his ear.

"What was that Zachary? I couldn't quite hear you." Sephiroth hid a grin. _Bullshit_, Zack thought.

"I said sir, that I don't have clearance to access cadet files. Only Generals do sir." Zack glared playfully at Sephiroth. _Smug bastard._

"Ah, thank you for reminding me Lieutenant. I sometimes forget. Now, why don't you actually go to your office and do some paperwork… You know, this white stuff?" Sephiroth pointed to the piles of files on his desk. (4)

"Yeah, very funny sir." Zack complained but got up any ways. The piles in his own office weren't getting smaller on their own, only bigger… like bunnies.

"See you later Seph." Zack headed for the door.

"Goodbye Zack." Sephiroth answered politely, dismissing his Lieutenant General.

**~XxXxX**

Later in the evening, Sephiroth sat up in bed, his lap top projecting a white-blue light onto his face. It was close to midnight and all he wanted to do was go to bed, but he still had to look into that cadet. If he went to into work tomorrow without a little background information, Zack would kill him. Logging into the ShinRa mainframe, Sephiroth typed in the boys' name. What popped up startled him.

Cloud Summer Strife, Age Sixteen. _If that boy is sixteen, then I'm not the General of the Army._ Bright blonde hair spiked up all over the place in the profile picture. All cadets were required to take a one the first day of class. Large blue eyes peered out of a youthful face. Sephiroths' eyes focused on pouting pink lips, specifically the full bottom lip. Shaking himself out of his daze, he continued to read the rest of the file.

_Nibelheim huh? Such a far away place._ Skimming the rest of the file, Sephiroth zeroed in on the bottom note. _Dyslexia… that doesn't make any sense._ Frowning, Sephiroth clicked the link to Cadet Strife's test scores and photo copied test. Sephiroths' jaw dropped. _No way, that shouldn't be possible._

ShinRa tests are out of a final score of fifty. There are three sections; math, science and english. There are twenty five questions per section. Math is out of a base score of thirty five. Science is out of a base score of fifty and English is out of a base score of fifteen. All of these scores are added up to get a total base score of one hundred. Then the final base score is divided in half to get the final score out of fifty. Flabbergasted, Sephiroth picked up his cellphone from the night stand. Dialing the test administrator, Sephiroth waited impatiently for the call to connect.

"Hello?" answered the tired voice. Someone hadn't gone to sleep yet it seemed.

"General Sephiroth speaking. I was wondering how a cadet managed to get a base score of _two hundred and ninety six_ on our admission test. Care to explain?"

**~XxXxX**

Cloud stacked all his new books under his bed. Luckily he had the bottom bed. It really hadn't been a very stressful day besides getting up at the butt crack of dawn; just introductions to classes and handing out super sized textbooks. They did have to take pictures during their running class. It had been funny watching the boys who couldn't wake up try to look tough for the camera. Cloud had just pouted pretty for the camera. _I love getting my picture taken. It's just so… so… so!_

"Hey blondie, whatcha name?" a bigger boy asked him. He had a buzz cut and what seemed to be a permanent scowl. _Well, your mother should have told you not make that face. It just stuck that that! _

"Cloud." Cloud replied, just giving him his first name, not liking the vibes he was getting from the other cadet. (5)

"Huh, so they let faggots into the military now too? My pa says your kind is a disease." The boy mocked. Clouds' eyes widened in shock and then narrowed in fury. _So there are these kinds of jerks here too. What I wouldn't give to knock that bastards' crooked teeth down the back of his throat. Just one solid kick would do it._

"Leave him alone Jackson. Your dad is a stuck up asshole… oh wait, I guess it's hereditary but you don't know what that means do you?" another big cadet stepped into the conversation. He had feathered chestnut colored hair and golden eyes. _Ohhh, shiney,_ Cloud thought staring at the boys' eyes.

"Shut up Trent. You don't know nothing." Jackson shouted.

"Oh, I don't know _anything?_ Well then, why did I score a perfect on the exam?" Trent grinned when Jackson flushed an unattractive plum color. His scowl fiercer, Jackson stomped over to his bunk at the opposite side of the room, against the back wall opposite the door white Clouds' was next to the door. Grinning now too, Cloud turned to the new guy.

"Thanks a bunch. I'm Cloud Strife."

"Trent Black. How's it going shorty?"

"SHORTY!" Cloud lunged for the guy. _Fuck this shit!_ After throwing a couple of punches and dodging all attempts made by Trent, Cloud started laughing. Soon, the other boy joined in as well, neither knowing why they were laughing.

**~XxXxX**

Author's Note: I'm so sorry about how long this took. It isn't even that long! I just needed to get the exam out of the way. I can't really do much until I can introduce Sephiroth and Genesis. As you can see, Angeal is in the picture and so is Zack now. There's going to be a lot of drama between Zack and Cloud and a shit ton of it between Rufus and Cloud… But that's wayyyyyy later in the story. I wasn't just piddle fating around though. I was making chart after chart and deciding what type of military rank that I wanted to use. I have several relationship charts figured out and I have the way that the rank is going to go. I'm going to explain it now for future knowledge.

The way the rank is going to go is the USA army way. There are ten ranks and a special rank. Now I really don't know how it works but I got this lovely chart from the USA Army website and I was like "Huh, I could use this!" Sooo, rank one is Second Lieutenant (2LT). Rank two, First Lieutenant (1LT). Third Captain (CPT). Fourth Major (MAJ). Fifth Lieutenant Colonel (LTC). Sixth Colonel (COL). Seventh Brigadier General (BG). Eighth Major General (MG). Ninth Lieutenant General (LTG). Tenth General (GEN). And the special rank is General of the Army (GA). Rank seven has one star, eighth, two. Ninth, three. Tenth, four, and the special rank has the five star circle. Zack is the LTG and Genesis and Angeal are Gen while Sephiroth is the only GA

Like Axel says in Kingdom Hearts II, don't forget this little line…. It means a lot more then it seems like it would…. Hint hint hint

A forty-five on a SOLDIER exam is like getting a ninety on a Nibelheim test. In the town of Nibelheim, all test and quizzes at school are out of one hundred. In Midgar, all tests are out of fifty. Cloud doesn't realize just how good he does. In fact, the tests in Midgar are about two hundred times harder than in Nibelheim.

Yes, I know I'm weird. ;P

Ha, I rhymed.

I know Cloud's attitude is different from the first chapter. He was a little (okay a lot) batty in the first one, but you have to consider the training that he went threw with Reno… and living in the slums. Cloud went from Nibelheim in the middle of no where how-the-fuck-do-you-even-say-that to the slums of the meanest city in the world… Making them the meanest slums in the world. Got it? Thought I'd add that just in case you were wondering… if you even noticed.

Extra Note: I write this all by hand first and to signal the section breaks I've started drawing the little sun… I thought it was funny so I decided to share with my wonderful readers.

Extra extra read all about it… Reviews make the world go 'round so make my world spin and tell me what you think. I'd really like to hear… Comments, suggestions, things you want to see later in the story if I can put them in… even flames if you feel the burning need.

Ps. Cloud and Seph meet next chapter ;]


	3. Dance with the Devil

Word Count: 3943

Disclaimer: Still the same as always

Rating: NC-17

Warning: A very graphic yaoi scene…. Go to the shooting star symbol if you want to skip it. I don't think you really want to though. ;]

Dance with the Devil by Breaking Benjamin

Here I stand, helpless and left for dead.

Close your eyes, so many days go by.  
>Easy to find what's wrong, harder to find what's right.<p>

I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies.

I won't stay long, in this world so wrong.

_[Chorus:]_  
>Say goodbye, as we dance with the devil tonight.<br>Don't you dare look at him in the eye, as we dance with the devil tonight?

Trembling, crawling across my skin.  
>Feeling your cold dead eyes, stealing the life of mine.<p>

I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies.

I won't last long, in this world so wrong.

_[Chorus]_

Hold on. Hold on.

_[Chorus]_

Hold on. Hold on.

Goodbye.

**~XxXxX**

**Dance with the Devil**

**~XxXxX**

Genesis stepped into the shower, worn and tired. Missions as a SOLDIER First Class were never easy, but the last one had been plain brutal. Hopefully a hot shower will wash away all the knots collected in his shoulders, specifically the one big ass knot on his right shoulder. A rampant Mideel dragon had been lurking around the volcano and the villagers had been worried that it would turn vicious with the mako plant so close to where it was nesting. Dragons of any kind were a pain in the ass no matter what part of the world they were from, but a dragon drugged out of its' mind on mako was a mass murder waiting to happen. So he had taken care of it. For three weeks.

Sighing, Genesis picked up the bottle of dumb apple shampoo and squirted a good dollop into his hand. (1) As he worked the smelly stuff into his gorgeous locks of lusciousness, he heard the bathroom door open with an almost silent creek. Smiling to himself, Genesis pretended to not hear a thing. A deep chuckled echoed in the black and white tiled bathroom. Genesis just kept washing and rinsing his hair, even when the fogged glass door to the huge shower opened. He wasn't shocked, startled or surprised when thick, muscled arms wrapped around his trim waist. Leaning back, Genesis circled his arms around Angeals' neck and pulled him for a kiss over his shoulder.

"Good evening, love. How was your mission?" Angeals' deep voice resonated pleasantly through Genesis' chest after the long, soul searching kiss ended.

"Taxing. Make it better… after I condition my hair." Smirking, Genesis reached for the conditioner, a vanilla smelling concoction of his own. After the required five minute soak, he turned to find his lover patiently waiting, knowing better then to get in his way of hair care, but enjoying the view while waiting. Reaching up the few inches, Genesis dragged Angeals' head down for a kiss. Nipping at the taller mans' lips, he moaned when he was granted access. Angeals' hands traced wet lines down his lovers' back, following his spine downwards. Cupping the redheads' ass, he pushed Genesis against the tiled wall, never breaking the kiss.

Grunting at the slight impact, Genesis disconnected their lips to attack the brunettes' neck. Sucking on Angeals' Adam's apple, Genesis wrapped one leg around the mans' hips hoisting himself onto his tippy toes. (2) Laughing, Angeal reached over to the shower head basket, grabbing a bottle of conveniently placed lube.

"Eager?" Angeal lightly bit Genesis' ear lobe, pleased when the other SOLDIER whimpered a little.

"Goddess yes! Now, fuck me!" Genesis moaned into Angeals' ear, wanting it so bad. It had been a couple weeks and it felt like the tension would never go away.

"In time, love." Angeal flipped the cap up and put a good amount on his fingers. Hurrying was not an excuse to hurt Genesis, no matter how much they both wanted it. Smearing it across his fingers, Angeal gently traced the small hole. Panting, Genesis tried to push down on the finger, wanting it inside his body _now!_ Whining when Angeal pulled back, Genesis reached down towards Angeals' cock, playing lightly with the head. Hissing and pulling his hips away almost unbalancing them, Angeal glared playfully at his lover.

"Play nice and I will." The threat hung silently in the air, promising sensual torture that would have Genesis screaming and sobbing for release. Grinning but complying, Genesis stroked the less sensitive shaft of his lover, slowing but surly driving Angeal mad. Eye lids lowering at the pleasure, Angeal went back to the task of preparing Genesis, very much distracted. Dragging his forefinger against the crack, Angeal slowly pushed the finger into the red head, smug when his lovers' hands faltered on his cock.

Groaning, Genesis wrapped his arms around Angeals' shoulders, pressing his head into the mans' right shoulder, shaking and desperate. Genesis' leg tightened around Angeals' hip when the man slowly started to pump into and out of his body. Angeal, loosing his patience in the face of Genesis' need, added another finger, careful to make sure there was enough lube left on his fingers. Placing open mouthed kisses on Angeals' shoulder, Genesis started thrusting down on the invading fingers. Genesis jolted when Angeal curled his finger foreword, brushing firmly against his prostate.

"_Fuck!"_ he shouted, fingers dragging down Angeals' back, creating lines that would heal in seconds. Legs trembling, his head whipped up and he attacked Angeals' lips. Angeal gladly accepted the kiss, pushing in the third finger. Scissoring them, he push in and out, avoiding that one spot. Grabbing the bottle of lube again, he poured some over his cock, removed his fingers to spread it around, but found Genesis beat him to it when his lover started to jack him off again, teasing him.

"Gaia I love your cock." Genesis said reverently, tracing the thick vein of the good sized appendage. Genesis licked his lips, wanting to go down on Angeal, but knew it was a little too late for that. After he was satisfied with his work, he peering up at Angeal, smirking when he saw his lovers' jaw clenching and unclenching. Growling, Angeal lifted Genesis' other leg up and push his firmly against the wall, taking all of his weight like it was nothing; and to a SOLDIER it was like picking up a piece of paper. (3) Genesis, eager and willing, placed his hands on the mans' upper arms and leaned back on the wall. Biting his lip, Genesis' hands tightened when he felt the head of his lover probe his ass. Squirming, he angled his hip downwards more. Complying, Angeal gently thrust up into Genesis, struggling slightly to get the fat head into his lover. Grunting, he pushed harder and moaned when it slipped inside. Genesis' gave a keen when he felt the entrance and then fucking sweet pressure. Panting, he bucked his hips down best he could, hampered by the position and his lovers' weight pinning him to the wall. Panting himself, Angeal thrust forward, pushing into the warm, tight walls. Pulling back when he was half way in, he repeated the processes until he was fully in. Sobbing, Genesis clawed at Angeals' shoulders.

"More… _Gaia, please!"_ Genesis begged, needing harder, faster, _more._ He screamed, the sound echoing in the large bathroom when Angeal thrust hard, shifting and nailing his prostate. Gasping, Genesis clung to Angeal and the man started a punished in-out. Every thrust in he could feel the man reach deep inside him and hit that spot, shouting or screaming every single time. He couldn't stand it any more. It felt so good, but he couldn't fucking _move_. He wanted more. Yowling in frustration, Genesis tried to grip the tiles above his head for leverage. He found none.

"Want something love?" Angeals' smug tone invaded his haze. He glared at the man, or tried to. His eyes crossed when Angeal thrust in and just held the position, grinding and circling his cock right _there!_

"OH FUCK! Oh Gaia.. FUCK. FUCK. _FUCK!_" He thrashed, trying to pull away; trying to push down harder. Angeal groaned, knees shaking slightly. It felt so damn good to be inside Genesis again. Swiveling his hips he moaned when Genesis screamed, pounding on his shoulders for him to pull back. He could hear his lover sobbing around his screams; see his lovers' cock turn a purplish red, getting close to release. Fuck, he could _feel_ him getting impossibly tighter. Grinding his teeth painfully, Angeal pounded harder, no longer concerned with being gentle. Genesis could take it.

"Like that love? Can you feel it brushing against you from the inside, driving you insane?" Angeal whispered his Genesis' ear, driving his words home with a thrust into his lovers' gland. He smiled when Genesis shrieked, pleased to get such a sound from the man.

"Yes, please…so close!" Genesis whimpered, panting loudly. He could feel every inch driving in, his heart pounding desperately. Genesis leaned forward and kissed Angeal, showing his desperation.

"As you wish." Angeal broke the kiss to utter these words. Reaching between them, he roughly grabbed Genesis' neglected cock and jacked him off. Genesis' voice gained half an octave when he felt his release coming. He need a little more… just a little bit- Genesis froze completely when Angeal drove his cock into his prostate with the force of a train at the same time he roughly dragged his thumb over his cock head. Every muscle in his body seized in pleasure and his eyes slammed shut. His cock jerked and twitched, as he strained in Angeals' arms. And then he felt Angeal jerk forward and heard him groan, cock swelling and jerking in his body, spraying semen. Genesis finally screamed when Angeal thrust one more time and held his position against his prostate again. Legs spazzing and biting Angeals' shoulder Genesis' vision went black for a moment and his ears rang and he came again. _Hard._

Angeal sank ungracefully to the ground, careful to turn to sit on the slick floor and settle Genesis' on his lap. He could hear Genesis pant and whimper into his chest. He could also feel the pleasant and slightly overwhelming sensation of his lovers' ass clenching lightly around his semi-hard hypersensitive cock. He also felt the unpleasant feeling of Genesis' nails permanently piercing his arms, drawing blood.

"You alright?" He panted, into the red heads' sweaty hair, the still warm water flowing gently over them. He loved ShinRa water heaters.

"Hmmm?" Genesis lifted his fingers out of Angeals' arms, melting in the mans' lap. Thinking was a foreign concept to him at the moment.

"I guess so. Let get cleaned up and go to bed Gen." Laughing, Angeal disengaged from his lover and helped him stand. He also helped him wash dry off and carried him to bed.

"Gaia I needed that." Genesis mumbled into the pillows, enjoying the bigger man's warmth wrapped around him from behind. He didn't receive a verbal response, just heard the slight snore that sounded in his ear. _Yes, sleep was good. Very good. Love you 'Geal._ And Genesis drifted off to sleep

(⁀‵⁀) ✫ ✫ ✫.  
>`⋎´✫¸.•°*"˜˜"*°•✫<p>

Sighing in relief, Zack turned into his pillows, ready for sleep himself. _Fucking thin walls._

**~XxXxX**

Sephiroth stood in the overview box in the gym, watching the cadets practice and train. They were working on their swordsmanship. A month of training had done them good, and some were starting to show natural abilities. As the General, Sephiroth couldn't help but be pleased that so many were excelling. He knew how hard the courses were; he made them. The one that really caught his attention was the little blonde boy who was practicing with the tallest in their group. They made quite the pair. The shortest and the tallest going at it, like a chawawa attacking a bear. However, they weren't anything to laugh at skill wise. Both boys were probably the best in their year.

Cadet Cloud Summer Strife was more advanced then his partner. It was obvious when they were sparring that he had to hold back. He incorporated acrobatics into his fighting style and got in as many martial arts moves as possible. Cloud could possibly be the first ever completely mixed fighter to try to get into SOLDIER. It wasn't unusual for a SOLDIER to thrown in other moves outside of the sword fighting realm, but not with the frequency that it looked like they were dancing with their sword. The little cadet couldn't do anything normal it seemed. From his test scores to his fighting style.

Sephiroth thought back to the night he had called the administer. He had sat in stunned silence will the other man explained that while cadet didn't finish his test-_dear Gaia_- he had so much thought and knowledge on the math and science portions that he scored over in those two categories; way over. Sephiroth had then demanded how the administer could make such a call. He said that he hadn't made it alone. He had gone to ten other people, highly qualified people, to discuss what to do with the extremely smart boy. They then decided to put him in advanced classes. Problem solved.

Sephiroth shook himself out of wonderland to pay attention to the cadets. They had moved onto a new form. Cloud and Trent picked up the form faster then the instructor could deal with. He couldn't be everywhere at once, and it was more important at that point in time to get everyone up to par instead of just nurturing the strong. Frowning, Sephiroth exited the observation room.

**~XxXxX**

Cloud grunted in frustration as he went through the motions of the form _again._ _Why couldn't they have two instructors in the room? It would make things so much smoother. Cheap bastards. _Cloud, so lost in his angry rant, didn't notice the rooming going silent until Trent nudged, or rather jabbed him in the ribs. Cloud looked up, rather annoyed at the interruption. He gasped and almost dropped him sword when his vision was filled with silver hair and hard muscled man. _Good Gaia, he's soooooo hot! Yum._ Quickly shaking out of his thoughts, Cloud made sure to salute his General, cause offending him would be a very bad idea.

"At ease cadets." A deep, silky voice said. It could only be the General that spoke; no one else in ShinRa could command the room with that much ease. Also, Cloud had watched enough speeches given by the General on TV to know what his voice sounded like. Cloud lowered his arm and went back to practicing, sneaking looks at where the General was talking to his instructor.

"General, what a surprise. Is there anything you need?" the sword instructor nevously spoke. The larger man was really intimidating.

"No Jameson. I was just wondering if I might train one or two cadets today, if that's alright with you?" Sephiroth made it a question, knowing that Jameson couldn't refuse, not if he wanted to keep his job anyways.

"Of course sir. I'm honored that you would even think of training the new boys." Jameson smiled, it would look very good when the higher ups found out that _the_ General wanted to train boy that he had help learn sword fighting. It showed how good he was.

_Little suck up, _Sephiroth thought, displeased. Flattery will get you no where in his army. However, he just let a small smile light his face, completely fake, and turned to the two boys.

"Cadet Strife, Cadet Black. I'll be working with you today. Do your best not to embarrass yourselves." The rest of the boys buzzed and whined over why is could be them before the instructor had them settle down and work on their forms. Clouds' heart raced when he realized that his idol had singled him out for training. It was like a dream come true. A very hot, very very tall dream equipped with pretty hair and a yummy chest.

"Yes sir. Thank you very much sir." Cloud answered with a quick salute. Sephiroth was very happy with the blondes' attitude. It seemed he wouldn't have any command issues with this one. The other one didn't look very enthused; Cadet Black looked like he could hurl at any given moment. Sephiroth stepped over to the tall cadet and leaned over.

"You can be excused from this exercise and work with Jameson if you feel like it. I won't hold it against you cadet." Sephiroth said softly to the boy. He really _wouldn't_ hold it against him. He's seen tougher men, hardened men who have been tortured and almost killed, cower when he walked into a room. It wasn't surprising that the boy was afraid.

"Thank you sir." Cadet Black whispered, moving back over to instructor Jameson to work on forms. Turing to the blonde he amused himself with the blondes blushing face, only imagining what could be going on in that spiky head.

"Well Cadet Strife, show me what you've got." Sephiroth drew Masamune from its sheath, gently setting the case to the side. Making the universal motion from 'bring it' he waited for the cadet to make a move, eager to see what the cadet could do. Cloud was stunned for a moment. _He wants me to fight him? NOW? Ummm, pass? Please? He could kill me with a finger.__** Or by smiling at me. **_Another part of his brain answered, causing him to turn into a tomato. Well whatever happens, he could at least try. Raising his sword, Cloud looked at the General, trying to see if the man had any apparent weaknesses. From the silver top of his head, past the silver pauldron and down to the black leather boots, it seemed the man had an impenetrable defense. Deciding that looking really wasn't going to do him any good, Cloud lunged for the General, attempting to get close to the man. If he was close enough, he couldn't move that huge sword of his right? Wrong.

Sephiroth slammed the small boy back. It had been a good tactic, but Cadet Strife wasn't fast enough to pull it off yet. He followed it up with a softer, slower slash of his sword; satisfied when the cadet managed to block the move. And their dance began. Sephiroth would make a flurry of moves that he thought _might_ be hard enough for the cadet to have trouble and was pleased every single time when none of the moves got through. Slowly pushing the blonde towards him limit, Sephiroth analyzed every move in the battle, cataloging what could have been done better to tell Clou-Cadet Strife afterwards.

Cloud panted, arms straining under the weight of the blows. He wasn't stupid; he knew that the General was holding back nearly all of his power. He remembered what it was like with Reno in the beginning, that feeling that Cloud had gotten that just screamed the fact that he wasn't good enough. Frustrated, Cloud swung his sword viciously, cutting off a lock of silver hair. _OMG, kill me now… Just kill me now!_

"Very good cadet. You fight better when you're angry; just don't take it out on my hair." Sephiroth drawled. He wasn't mad. He was over due for a hair cut anyways. He chuckled when the boy turned bright red again.

"I'm sorry sir. I really didn't-" Cloud stopped when Sephiroth held up a hand.

"It really is okay cadet. It's not like you cut it at the neck."

"But sir, it's your hair!" Cloud blurted without thinking. He knew a couple of his fellow cadets would kill him when they found out that he had damaged that head of hair.

"Oh, have a thing for hair cadet?" Sephiroth teased. He walked over to Cloud and bent to whisper in his ear, "Or maybe just my hair?" The General laughed when Cloud eeped and ran away just as the bell rang. That boy was too fun to tease. _I'll have to tell Zack. He'll have a field day._

**~XxXxX**

Zack flopped into the Generals' guest chair for what felt like the millionth time that month. He practically lived in the mans' office talking about the oh-so-cute-and-fluffy Cadet Strife.

"Hey Seph?"

"Yes Zack?"

"I heard you talked to our little chocobo." Zack batted his eyes, trying to sucker information out of his friend, but the guy wasn't even looking at him so it didn't really work.

"Hmmm?" Sephiroth teased, knowing that it was driving the brunette crazy.

"Tell me!" Zack whined. _Not fair, Mr. Poopy Head._

"He's fun to tease and great with a sword. His handling needs a little work though." Sephiroth knew exactly how his friend would take that last comment and laughed when Zacks' eyes all but fell out of his head.

"Not fair man, not fair. You had me going." Zack pouted. Of course the General would make a joke like that.

"If you're so interested, why don't you go talk to him yourself? Say at the next field mission?"

"Oh Sephy dear, I think I love you!" Zack cried.

The people throughout the building cringed when they heard an animalistic roar, followed by Lieutenant General Zachary Fairs' pleas of 'don't kill me' and Genesis' screams of 'shut up some people are trying to work!".

**~XxXxX**

Authors' notes: Well, this is the first lemon I've ever written and I want feed back. I also want five reviews for the next chapter. I received five in three days and I was very happy. I even stayed up the night before my trig exam to start this. I hadn't really planned on starting for a really long time sooo…. And it helped that I really wanted to write the Angeal/Genesis scene. I had planned on it being a oneshot Seph/Gen established relationship shower scene but then it turned into the beginning of chapter three.

I had 'skwirted' instead of 'squirted' and I found that extremely funny so I decided to share.

I was laughing to myself when I wrote 'tippy toes'. Did you know 'tippy' isn't a word? Well, I didn't. haha, and if you're wondering, Genesis is 6'0" and Angeals' 6'4", so there's enough of a height difference that he should lift himself up for it to work.

Genesis weighs around 196 and Angeal I placed at 310. I don't have their actual weight like maybe a mega fan does, but I make due with my imagination. If you think about it, it makes scene. Genesis is a reasonable height, but he's slender when you compare him to pictures of like Angeal, Zack and Sephiroth. And Angeal is beastly so he weights a ton, but it's all muscle cause he's the power house of ShinRa, while Genesis uses speed more. I tried to make their weight and height reasonable. A lot of the SOLDIERs who are main characters weigh in the 200s but you have to consider the fact that they're jacked on mako.

Ps. I decided that I would do a quick update and wrote this in about five hours. Next time there will be the field mission that Zack takes Cloud on.


	4. We are the Champions

Word Count: 4,991

Disclaimer: I really don't own this. I wish I did, but I don't.

Rating: M ish

Warning: Language, bullying, slightly sadist scenes, mention of cock, angst?

**~xXxXxXx~**

**We Are the Champions by Queen**

I've paid my dues -  
>Time after time -<br>I've done my sentence  
>But committed no crime -<br>And bad mistakes  
>I've made a few<br>I've had my share of sand kicked in my face -  
>But I've come through<p>

We are the champions - my friends  
>And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -<br>We are the champions -  
>We are the champions<br>No time for losers  
>'Cause we are the champions - of the world -<p>

I've taken my bows  
>And my curtain calls -<br>You brought me fame and fortuen and everything that goes with it

I thank you all -

But it's been no bed of roses  
>No pleasure cruise -<br>I consider it a challenge before the whole human race -  
>And I ain't gonna lose -<p>

We are the champions - my friends  
>And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -<br>We are the champions -  
>We are the champions<br>No time for losers  
>'Cause we are the champions - of the world –<p>

**~xXxXxXx~**

Cloud scowled down at his textbooks, pissed. All the words kept switching and mixing. It made his eyes hurt, but all the know-it-all professors had assigned insane amounts of reading each night to be done by the next day. The school part of the ShinRa program was taken seriously seeing as most cadets didn't have a chance to finish school before they joined the army and it wouldn't do to have a bunch of bumbling idiots wield guns and swords. You were only done with school when you made it to First Class and then you had the choice of ending your education there or continuing on. English, funnily enough, wasn't the hardest when it came to reading. They had two weeks to finish a two hundred page novel followed by weeks of review before they started the next book and there were almost no other reading assignments, just writing ones… which were almost as bad but Cloud would take a couple essays over reading fifty pages a night. He was already three-fourths the way done with the book because it had been so interesting that he couldn't put it down, even though reading even just a couple pages gave him a headache. It was nothing new and he would work through it like he always has.

Now, Organic Chemistry and Global Studies was a whole 'nother story. Combined, the two classes gave him about fifty pages that he wasn't getting in English a night. Organic Chemistry talked about the workings of mako and how it affected the body. It was a complex subject and therefore the textbook was just as complex. _Gaia knows that I spend more time look at a dictionary then actually reading the textbook every night, _Cloud grumbled. Global Studies was just a lot of fucking reading and it was as dry as the skin on Professor Hojo's nose… _Ewwww…_

After looking over his homework sheets, Cloud decided that he had had enough. It was almost lights out and even if he had two more hours, he wouldn't be able to finish the questions that went with his reading assignments. It was hard enough just to finish the readings; completing several worksheets that went with it was impossible. Cloud didn't think that there was a single assignment that he had managed to hand in fully completed. He still received top grades, but he knew he could do better. Cloud wanted to do better, to prove that he could do better and wasn't stupid like whole of Nibelheim thought, including his mother.

Cloud's thoughts on his home-but-not-really was interrupted by the laugher a couple bunks down and across from him. The majority of the barrack was playing poker, betting the meager pocket change that they had over a silly game of cards. Cloud never was good at poker, couldn't keep a straight face to save his life. _They're all idiots, _he though, _probable didn't do their homework and completely forgot about the test in English tomorrow. Morons! I'm gonna laugh in your face tomorrow when you're scrambling around asking people what happened during the last couple chapter that we were supposed to read. Well, you all can suck it cause you're not getting anything from me!_

Cloud was interrupted from his mental ranting by a suspicious sound from across the way. Looking over there was an empty bunk on bottom. The sheets were perfectly made. Confused Cloud looked around, but the sound came again, and Cloud finally looked at the second bunk, remembering that for there to be bunks beds, there had to be two beds. What he saw made his eyes bleed. By process of elimination of who was playing poker, there could only be one person sitting under the sheet. _Jackson is jerking off in the bunk across from mmeeeee! MY INNOCENCE! _Cloud howled in his head. His traumatized brain didn't even register the person sneaking up on him until too late.

"SHORTY!" Came Trent's call before he hurled himself onto Cloud's bed tackling the smaller boy and sending his books flying from his bed onto the floor. He glomped his young friend for a second before looking up. It was weird that Cloud wasn't punching him in the face for calling him short, but it was even weirder that the blondelicious boy wasn't pushing him away with scream of "personal bubble" and "touch me and I'll castrate you.. though maybe I should any ways and do the world a favor." Trent had retorted with "pot meet kettle, because it'll be a sorry world when there are spawn of Satan running around in the guise of being Cloud Strife's children." Cloud had stared at him for a moment before snorting and saying "How's you brain feel after saying a few big words?" Cloud: 1, obnoxious friend: 0.

Anyways, Trent looked down at Cloud and frowned. The boy looked like he had seen the world end and was about to puke. Rolling of his friend, he poked him in the side and snickered when he shrieked and fell of the bed.

"DON'T do that! You know I'm ticklish!" Cloud pouted from the floor, rubbing his much bruised and abused behind from where it had landed painfully on his sharp edged books. _Curse you Global Studies, even from the proverbial grave you are ruining my life. If I get a bruise on my ass from your sharp corners, I'm burning you! _Cloud ranted at he imagined setting fire to the book from hell. Oh, what a wonderful dream.

"Earth to Shorty, anybody in that rock of a head you call a brain?"

"Do you want a fist in the face? Because it can be arranged! I am NOT short, thank you very much! So I'm only 5'4". It's not my fault you're humongous!" Cloud cut off his tirade when Trent fell over laughing and knocked off the remaining books and all his homework onto the floor.

"Prick." Cloud returned but couldn't help smiling a bit.

"Why were you brooding over here in the corner all by your lonesome looking like Sephiroth had just gotten a buzz cut?" Trent asked, pulling a lollipop out of his pocket. _Yum, strawberry._

Cloud gasped in horror at that mental picture. Could he love the General if he cut off all of his hair? Cloud didn't know. He was shallow and truthfully didn't know the war hero at all, which was normal considering the fact that he was a lowly cadet while Sephiroth had led seven different war campaigns and had come back victorious all seven times. That wasn't even including the war with Wutai where he earned the title of the Silver Monster to most of the populous of Wutai. All Cloud knew was that the General was handsome, he was friends with Zack who Cloud liked and that the General had flirted with him once a month ago, but that he hadn't seen him since. That wasn't enough to fuel any real feelings, but it certainly was enough to fuel a couple fantasies, Cloud remembered blushing.

He stopped blushing when he finally remembered the question that Trent had asked him. He paled drastically and looked towards the top bunk. Trent followed his gaze and quickly put two and three together. He nose crinkled up a bit and he looked like he had swallowed something sour.

"Is that who I think it is?"

"Yeah."

"EWW! JACKSON HAS A BONER!" Trent screamed at the top of his lungs as he leapt up and ripped the blanket off the top bunk, disturbing Jackson who had obviously been getting close to orgasm based on the way his cock looked. Cloud gagged in disgust.

"MY INNOCENCE! GIVE IT BACK!" Cloud screeched as Jackson let go and tried to pull up his pants as fast as he could. He face was crimson, more then slightly on the purple side. The rest of the boys were laughing and making jokes. Cloud and Trent were dissolving into giggles. Jackson looked like he couldn't decide if he wanted to cry or punch someone in the face.

"You faggots! How dare you! When my father hears about this-!" He started.

"What can your father do? He's a bigot farmer in a small town who doesn't really have as much say you think he does." Trent replied. Cloud looked at his taller friend with a new sense of respect. _How had he gotten that information? Does he want to be a Turk?_ Cloud was little disappointed at the thought of his only friend going onto be a Turk. They would most likely be separated if that happened. Jackson stared at them a little bit, and then looked around the room. Realizing that no one was going to help him, his lip trembled a little before he turned on his side facing the wall and pulled the sheet up to his chin, ignoring the rest of the room. Cloud felt a little bad, but he _had_ been bullying several different cadets, so Cloud decided to not really care about Jackson's feelings.

While Cloud had been having this moral dilemma, Trent had made himself comfortable on Cloud's bunk again, not bothering to climb up to his right above. Cloud started picking up his books and putting his homework into the proper folders. Cloud was just finishing when he heard the sound of heavy boots falling out in the hall.

"LIGHTS OUT." One of the Sergent's yelled from outside the closed door.

"Yeah, lights out. Now get off my bed you overgrown squid!" Trent just sprawled out over the bed, ready to sleep there when Cloud dropped the first text book he could find, which happened to be the evil Global Studies book, on his balls."

"You know I wanted to have children someday." Trent wheezed as he curled into a ball, clutching at his throbbing baby maker.

"Too bad." Cloud giggled as he crawled over Trent and then pushed him off the bed with his foot. Cloud quickly fluffed his pillows and settled under his covers.

"…Sadist."

"Yep." Cloud closed his eyes, smiling, knowing that his friend might just retaliate in the morning by waking him up with a kick in the groin from the safety of the upper bunk, but couldn't find enough energy to care. He dreamed about silver hair and brilliant blue eyes before he had nightmares of buzz cuts and woke to find out that yes, being kicked in the groin with a full bladder does hurt, and it was very embarrassing.

**~xXxXxXx~**

It was currently five p.m. on a Monday. The sun was shining, the sky blue and the birds chirping merrily and all Cloud could think was _fuck me_ as he stared across a metal desk sitting in an uncomfortable chair at his training supervisor, Gabriel Wentworth. The man was older, probably retired military who wanted to teach the newer generations. He looked to be around fifty with short grey hair and a grey goatee. Wentworth had sharp hazel eyes that Cloud knew didn't miss a thing.

The Lieutenant Colonel looked at the small blonde boy before him, observing. He had read in reports that the boy was smart, a hell of a lot smarter then average, his entrance exam stated as much. Cloud wasn't a slacker in his physical classes, even if he wasn't the best in some, he was better then most and _was_ the best in the martial arts class and sword work class. The cadet picked things up quickly and never forgot what he had learned. However, despite all the hype over the "genius" cadet, Cloud Strife wasn't showing as much brilliance as expected.

The boy had no problems with answering questions verbally in class and when asked to expand on theories or recite historical information, he left his classmates behind with the sheer amount of information he could process at once. Yet, when it came to his written work, Cloud seemed to be lacking. He could barely finish his assignments on time, and usually he didn't complete the worksheets fully. He could get most of the way done and then stop. The instructors didn't understand. The questions that Cloud answered were done to perfection, so why couldn't he just answer the last two or three questions? Wentworth had thought on that question for three weeks before he had called the boy to his office.

Cloud shifted in the uncomfortable chair. _This has got to be a form of torture. I mean who stares at somebody for five minutes while they sit in a Gaia awful chair. I know I'm gorgeous but old men really aren't-_

"Cadet Strife, do you know why I requested your presence?" Lieutenant Colonel Wentworth asked coldly. He was using a tone of voice often taught to officers to intimidate lower ranks and prisoners of war.

"No, sir." Cloud answered sullenly, trying not to roll his eyes and tried to at least make it seem like he was intimidated by the big bag Lieutenant Colonel. _If I knew what I was here for I wouldn't be here because I would have corrected my mistake._ Cloud swallowed nervously, intimidated despite all his mental bravado.

"No, I'm sure you wouldn't." The Lieutenant Colonel observed Cadet Strife's body language with amusement. The petite boy was acting tough, by Wentworth could see that the blonde was scared. The Lieutenant Colonel had heard of attitude issues with the small boy. Cadet Strife was a very unique person, and the army didn't interfere with the mental development of the cadets unless they were disobedient. So far, Strife has proven to be rather weird and out going around friends, but quiet around authority figures. Of course all the Sergents knew about what happened with Cadet Jackson, but as long as things didn't get overly physical, they didn't care. That particular cadet needed to be brought down a peg anyway. Better the cadets do it than the Sergents, which is what would have had to happen if things had continued the way they were.

"You seem to have problems with completing your class assignments. As an advanced cadet you should know the importance of keeping up with everybody. Care to tell me why this is such an issue?"

Cloud was embarrassed, mortified actually. He knew not being able to complete things would grab someone's attention, but he didn't think that it would grab the head supervisor's attention. _I mean honestly, I'm just one person. Nothing special… There's no reason why he should take me aside into his office… Unless they plan to murder me, that would suck._

"Sir, the words on the page are confusing." Cloud mumbled, refusing to elaborate.

"Confusing how? Confusing as in above your reading level, or confusing in some… other way?" Wentworth baited the boy. _We can't help you if you don't ask for help. I don't want to have to kick you out because you refuse to acknowledge that you have a problem._

"The words get mixed up sir. The letters switch and if I read long enough, the words look like they're swirling across the page." Cloud's voice was even softer. He was trembling. _**Freak. Mommy, why can't that boy read? I'm five and he's eight, so he should read better then me right? **__All those stupid memories, _Cloud thought. _Nobody understands. The army won't understand just like the people back home didn't understand. Just like mom didn't understand. They'll probably laugh and send be back home._

"What you have Cloud is a condition called dyslexia. It's a reading impairment where your brain doesn't see the words like your eyes see the words. Sometimes it switches the letters or flips them. In you case, it seems to be at a severity where it could be considered a disability." The Lieutenant Colonel watched the cadet carefully. His eyes widened and he looked like he wanted to cry. Clouds shoulders were hunched in a defensive position, fists clenched on his knees. _Looks like there has been a prior issue with this. Maybe even abuse, whether it be because of the towns folk or even at home. A place as back woods as Nibelheim probably doesn't even know what dyslexia is._

_ A disability… I have a disability. Great, now I'm even more of a freak. Might as well stamp it on my forehead and send me on my way. They're going to kick me out, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Heh, butt. Now I sound hysterical inside my own head. If anyone could hear my thoughts they'd probably think I was insane! Ohhhh, maybe they'd exorcise me. _Cloud giggled mentally, feeling his eyes sting with tears.

"It's not curable, but Professor Gast has put together a program for people with dyslexia." The Lieutenant Colonel said, "You are not the only one who has dyslexia in the army. You are the most severe case but General Rhapsodos also is dyslexic and with the help of Professor Gast, his reading and writing is remarkably better. The program is like speech therapy, expect it deals with reading and writing. It forces your brain to recognize the letters as they were meant to be and 'see' them correctly."

Cloud looked at him for a couple minutes, speechless. "You're not going to kick me out?"

"No, Cloud." Wentworth switched to the cadet's first name to comfort him. "We want to help you. You're a smart boy, maybe even the smartest we've ever seen but we can only help you if you ask for it. Understand?"

Cloud nodded. They were giving a second chance.

"When do I start therapy sir?"

"Tuesdays and Thursdays after you get back from you mission."

"Mission sir?" Cloud asked. _I haven't heard of any mission._

"Ah yes, you have a mission with Lieutenant General Fair. You should pack for three days. You are going to the plains outside Midgar. Dismissed." Cloud left the Lieutenant Colonel's office in a daze. _I'm going on a mission. I think I'll pack my pink socks!_

**~xXxXxXx~**

Two days later, Cloud woke up with a bang. Literally.

"Good morning my lovelies! Up and at 'em. It's a brand new day and you should be alive and kicking already. Where's the energy, the enthusiasm?" Lieutenant General Zackery Fair walked into the room with a pot and a spoon, banging away. _Ahh, nothing like torturing the cadets in the morning. _Cloud fell out of bed and glared at his evil porcupine of a friend. _What self respecting high authority figures walks in banging on a pot like a three year old… Not, that I wouldn't do it, but it sooo fucking early!_ Cloud let his forehead fall and hit the ground, ready to just sleep on the floor.

"Hey Chocobo, are you packed and ready for the mission?" Cloud nodded his head, smearing drool across the floor.

"Good, we leave in half an hour."

"Son of a bitch!" Cloud screamed as he leapt off the floor and ran to the bathroom, followed by Zack's evil cackle.

_Ah, torturing the cadets really is the best thing in the world._

**~xXxXxXx~**

Half an hour later, Cloud was waiting near the back entrance to the ShinRa complex. He scowled as he looked outside. It was pouring, and looked like it was going to start thundering and lightning any second. _Ugh, just what a want to do. Step outside and get puked on by Gaia… Well fuck you too bitch!_ Cloud jumped when he felt heavily muscled arms circle around him.

"Spiky! We finally get to go on a mission together." Zack laughed as he twirled in a circle with the cadet. Setting the kid back down on his feet, Zack smirked when he took in the boy's frazzled appearance.

"Sir, yes sir." The boy mumbled.

"Well lets set out then. I hope you're ready for some fun in the rain." Zack walked merrily out the door, unconcerned. A little rain wouldn't hurt anybody and at least it's above eighty degrees. They went out into the downpour, heading for the plateau that would eventually lead into the flat plains. There wasn't any wild life out, and the only sounds they heard was the rain hitting the ground, their boots squashing in the mud and Cloud's heavy breathing. _That run class has not prepared me for this!_ It had only been an hour of hiking and Cloud was already out of breath. They were outside Midgar and were a good portion of the way up to the plateau. The problem was that it was becoming increasingly steep and the mud had caused Cloud to slip several times, face planting in the mud. He could hear Zack laughing ahead of him. _Curse you Zack Fair. When you slip and fall, I'm gonna point and laugh and then walked all over you!_

Another two hours later, Cloud was ready to drop on the ground and pass out. _Who knew walking could be this hard?_ Grumbling to himself, he didn't notice Zack stopping and ran into him.

"Ompf!" Cloud collapsed on the ground, not sure that he could get back up even though there was mud oozing into his underwear. _Just don't think about it Cloud, and the feeling will go away._

"I think that this is a pretty good spot to make camp." Zack said, carefully placing his back on a nearby rock to avoid the brown sludge. He unpacked the two man tent, and prepared to set it up. It was only ten in the morning, but by the looks of Cloud's face, he wasn't going to be able to go any further. Besides, the rain was coming down even harder. _Wouldn't want to check a cold._

"Well, are you going to lie there all day, or help me set this up? I won't let you in the tent if you don't do anything." Cloud jumped off the ground, wincing at his aching muscles but determined to not sleep outside in the rain. He walked over to where Zack was efficiently setting up the tent, almost half done already.

"Sir," Cloud said as he started to put the poles in place. "What exactly are we doing on this mission?"

"Call me Zack; I'm not really one for 'Sir' and all that unless it's some formal function. We, my friend, are just out here to observe the wild life and see how the mako is affecting it."

"So, we're not really doing much of anything?"

"Yep. We just get to hang out all day together."

Cloud couldn't help but grin. For the month and a half that he's been at ShinRa, Zack has been something of a friend to the blonde boy. He would appear out of no where to hug or kidnap him for dinner off base. It was fun having someone with a higher rank and more money take him out, cause that way Cloud never had to pay, even though he always offered. He also got to hear stories about the General. Things like what he liked to do in his spare time, or what shampoo he used etc. Cloud would then fawn over the General to Trent who, in his complete straightness, would just read a book and ignore him answering with the occasional "hmm" and "I see".

Zack also helped him with his sword work. _I don't know if I would be as good as I am if Zack hadn't taken an interest in me. I'm short and not strong at all, but he saw potential. I'm much bettet technically then the other cadets and I'm slowly, did I mention slowly, building strength. _Three times a week Zack would drop by the cadets barracks and take Cloud training.

"It took a while, but I finally got the time off to just relax, so I convinced Seph to let me take you out with me."

"This is your vacation time, and you decided to come out here?" _You're crazy Zack._

"Well, if I stayed inside, you wouldn't be able to hang out with me all day. So we're on a 'mission'."  
>"Whatever you say Zack." <em>I still think you're crazy.<em> They were silent for a couple of minutes as they set their things inside the tent. After gazing outside, Zack decided that it was too wet to find any fire wood; it wouldn't light any way so there was no point in venturing to find some. Zack closed and zipped the front flap of the tent, opening the air pockets, but making sure that the rain couldn't get in. Meanwhile, Cloud was changing his clothes. _Why in Gaia's name would any sane person go camping in a thunder storm? If Zack wanted to come see me he could have done it after class. No need to drag me out here… not that it's such a bad thing to not have to do homework. _

"So Cloud, why did you choose to join SOLDIER?" Zack asked casually. _Time to put __**Operation Chocobo**__ into affect. Not that Sephiroth would call it that, _Zack pouted mentally. Sephiroth had said _If you have the time to think up ridiculous names you have the time to work. And Zackery, if you keep putting your disgusting boots on my desk soon you're going to need to have surgery to remove the pen I shove up your ass! _

Cloud bit his lip. He had joined SOLIDER for very personal reasons and he wasn't sure that he should tell Zack anything. Sure, he trusted Zack with his life, but Cloud was certain that anything that he told Zack was going to be re-laid to the General. It was suspicious that Zack had gotten the 'okay' to take a cadet out on a mission that wasn't quite a mission. From what Zack had told him, the General was very serious about work and wouldn't want a cadet slacking, never mind Zack going out on company hours to do nothing but talk to a cadet. _I'm not stupid Zack. Now, do I want the General knowing everything? Why does he even care?_

"Well, why do you and the General want to know?" Cloud asked straight forwardly. _Might as well get that out in the open._ Zack sputtered for a moment, trying to find that proper words to say. That hadn't been in their plans. Operation Chocobo was a no go.

"We're just curious about you. You got the highest test scores, yet you have trouble with your homework. You are intelligent, yet none of the cadets pick on you. And you're smaller than everyone else, yet top of the class."

"So you only want to know more about me because of my test scores and social life?" Cloud was actually a little hurt. Had Zack said that he wanted to know more about him as a person, Cloud probably would have told him more about himself. But to find out that Zack, someone he looked up to, and the General, the object of his teenage lust, only wanted to know more about him because he was weird, that hurt Cloud.

"Spike, it's not _just_ about that though. It's what brought you to our attention, but that's not what makes you my friend. You're funny, and weird and a lot like me. Granted, Seph is only interested in you because of your test scores, but for me you're like a little brother." Zack pleaded with Cloud. Yes, he wanted to know more about the cadet and why he seemed so smart, despite his small town education, but Zack didn't want to loose Cloud's friendship over it.

"Well, that's all you had you say in the first place." Cloud smiled, forgiving Zack, but not forgiving the General who he was sure put Zack up to this.

"I live in Nibelheim, which is the worst town in the world. There are about five hundred people in the village, and they are all so, so mean I guess." Cloud started, his voice soft. He settled back on his sleeping back, preparing to tell the long story…

**~xXxXxXx~**

Author's Note: Been a long time eh? ^^'

I don't really know anything about dyslexia besides that fact that my friend has it. If I got somethings wrong let me know. I didn't mean to offend anyone either. With the therapy for it, I would like everybody to keep in mind that this is fictional and ShinRa is supposed to be super advanced.

Cloud also has matured more in this chapter. It's been a month and a half since chapter three and he's finally settling in.

Cloud doesn't know that both Sephiroth and Zack planned this, so while he forgives Zack, he doesn't forgive Sephiroth.

Sorry about the cliffhanger….

~Sephypoobear~


	5. You Have More Friends Than You Know

Word Count: don't really care anymore.

Rating: Teen

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Warnings: bullying.

**xXxXxXx**

**You Have More Friends Than You Know by Mervyn Warren (Glee version)**

Marley:

Mmm...

We feel, we hear, your pain, your fear

But we're here, to say, who you are, is okay

Blaine:

And you don't have to go through this on your own

You're not alone

Marley:

You have more friends than you know

Some who surround you

Some you are destined to meet

You'll have more love in your life

Unique:

Don't let go, give it time

Unique y Sam:

Take it slow

Those who love you the most, may need more time to grow

Unique:

It's gonna be okay (Sam: It's gonna be okay)

You have more friends than you know

Be brave, be strong,

You are loved, you belong

Blaine (Unique):

Some day soon (Some day soon), you will see (You will see)

You're exactly

Blaine y Unique:

Who you're supposed to be

Marley:

And you don't have to go through this on your own (Unique: Ooh!))

You're not (Unique: You're not!) alone (Unique: You're not alone, no, no)

Marley con Blaine, Sam, y Unique:

You have more friends than you know

Some who surround you

Some you are destined to meet

You'll have more love in your life

Marley (Con Unique, Sam y Blaine):

Don't let go, give it time (Blaine, Sam y Unique: Give it time)

Take it slow (Blaine, Sam y Unique: Take it slow)

Those who love you the most, (may need more time to grow)

It's gonna be okay (Blaine, Sam yUnique: Gonna be okay)

You have more friends than you know

Unique:

Be who you are

Learn to forgive

Unique con Blaine

It's not about who you love, but how you live (Blaine: But how you live!)

Unique:

Ooooh!

Blaine (Con Unique):

(You have more friends than you know) (Unique: That you know!)

Some who surround you (Unique: Yeah!)

Some you are destined to meet

Marley y Blaine (Unique):

You'll have more (More!) love in your life

Unique y Sam (Blaine, Sam, Marley and Unique):

Don't let go, give it time (Give it time)

Marley:

Take it slow (Unique: Take it slow)

Marley y Blaine (Con Unique)

Those who love you the most, (may need more time to grow)

Sam:

It's gonna be okay (Marley: It's gonna be okay)

Marley, Blaine, Sam y Unique:

You have more friends than you know

Unique:

It's gonna be okay

**xXxXxXx**

_Cloud, eight years old_

Nibelheim was a very quiet town, populous around five hundred people. Stranded and set aside from society, it was a very traditional town, backwater. It was home to most of the fair skinned and bright-eyed people on Gaia. The dense evergreen forest housed some of the Continents most ferocious monsters, including the Nibel Wolf and Nibel Dragons. The mako springs also made the area dangerous place to live, especially for curious children wandering around. The iridescent liquid was entrancing and many had come too close, and fell into a coma when splashed. They didn't recover.

Cloud Summer Strife has lived in Nibelheim his whole life, all eight years, and he couldn't think of a worse place to live. It was hell on Gaia to go about day-to-day life. The weather was _shitty_, says mama, all year around, the animals odd and the people static. Now, Cloud didn't quite know what "shitty" meant, but he knew that he didn't like the snow and he didn't like the wind, which meant he _really _didn't like living in Nibelheim.

If there was one thing little Cloud hated more then the weather, it would have to be the people. He loathed leaving the house and walking around town without his mother. Even when he was with her, Cloud still hid behind her. Walking alone was a terror. Seeing as today was one of the two generally sunny days that they got all year, his mother had kicked him out of the house.

"Cloud," she had said, "get you skinny, little butt outside and enjoy the weather. Gaia knows you need all the sun you can get with my complexion."

"But-"

"Now." And that had been the end of that discussion, and here he was, creeping across the village square, trying not to drag any attention towards himself. Unfortunately, it wasn't really working.

"Hey! Straw head, what are you doin' away from your shack?" one boy walking across the square called, having spotted Cloud with his bright hair. It was Ian, a boy his age with a freckled face and red hair. He was also one of Cloud's frequent tormentors. Cloud flinched a little but didn't answer, choosing instead to keep walking, intent on getting to the only book store in town and staying with his mother's friend, Barb.

"Hey, faggot, listen when my brother talks to you, ya hear?" an angry older boy, Patrick shouted as he stomped over to Cloud, footprints leaving pits in the snow. Panicking, he tried to get away, turning to run, but Patrick yanked his arm around and Cloud went crashing, hard, to the ground. He couldn't help but whimper a little as he bit his tongue. Cloud spat some blood onto the snow, staining the perfection a startling crimson.

Looking up, dazed, Cloud received a kick to the face, and heard a crack and then felt a flash of pain, his nose breaking. He started crying. Stumbling to his feet, Cloud made a mad dash for sanctuary seeing Barb's store just twenty feet away, windows covered in thick blinds and the door closed against the cold, but it wasn't enough. His shirt ripped as Cloud was grabbed and flung once again to the ground from behind. The ice scraped at the exposed skin and Cloud could feel the new cuts sting on his back before the pain of cold snow overlapped, washing it away. He wheezed, lungs emptied of necessary air with the impact on the hard, compacted snow.

"I wasn't done talking to you bitch! So, don't – run – away!" each word was punctuated by a kick to the side, Cloud didn't beg them to stop, he just waited and silently prayed that they wouldn't start saying _those_ things again.

"What? Not gonna cry for yer momma?" Patrick's accent deteriorated with rage. "Not gonna cry for that slut? How does it fell Cloudy, to be a bastard? To know that you mama will spread her legs for any outsider that comes around town, but couldn't find any of the _decent _men around here 'good enough' for her delicate tastes? Not that they would bed such a whore!" Patrick hurled the hateful words towards Cloud, intent on causing as much damage as his thirteen year old intellect could. The younger children standing behind him were a little uneasy, but they noticed the adults standing off to the side, laughing. So they thought, it must be okay.

"Hey!" an angry, heavy woman came charging out of "Barb's Book" wielding a broom. She started swatting at the children, Patrick in particular was whacked a couple of times across the head.

"Barbara! What are you doing hitting an innocent child like that? You should be ashamed of yourself!" An older gentleman, Sean, came forward and stood firmly between Patrick and Barb.

"Innocent? Innocent my ass! Look at poor little Cloud! Do you not see the example Patrick is setting for the younger children when you allow him to hurt people?" she scowled fiercely.

"See? I don't see anything besides a couple of children having some fun. There's nothing wrong with that." Sean's voice could make Nibelheim's arctic temperatures seem tropic, the tone so cold. Cloud looked at the ground, having not bothered to get up knowing it was futile, and was ashamed to feel tears in his eyes.

_Whack!_ Hazel Strife's palm snapped Sean's head to the side, shopping bags falling to the ground, ingredients falling out. She had just been coming home from grocery shopping, excited with the cake ingredients she had bought. Her baby was turning nine tomorrow! But then she had seen her baby boy on the ground bleeding and crying. Dribbles of blood smeared the lower half of his face, having leaked from his broken nose. Cloud's eyes were swollen from crying and his whole face looked like a mess. His shirt pooled in his lap, the back shredded. Even from a couple feet away, Hazel could see the shivering and the purple bruising starting to appear. _Thank Gaia I have that money. Soon baby, and we can leave here. I promise._

"Don't you _dare_ touch my Cloud again or I'll castrate you and feed you balls to the dragons. Only cowards and criminals attack children." Hazel made a point of looking at Patrick on 'criminals' and was pleased when the boy paled and looked away.

"I don't know what you teach your boys Sean, but this is not okay." The entire village square was silent, only Cloud's soft crying disturbed the quiet.

"I think that's enough." Brian Lockhart, Mayor of Nibelheim separated the two adults. " Now, nothing terrible has happened, so Ms. Strife, why don't you just head on home?" Hazel glared at the Mayor, but didn't say anything else, hatred coloring her face for a brief moment. The Mayor's eye's hardened. She turned to Cloud and picked him up, ignoring his squeak of embarrassment and carried him into Barb's shop. Barb picked up the groceries and followed closely behind, wary and holding the broom tightly despite the obvious 'conclusion' of the fight. They closed and locked the doors.

Shelves lined the quaint interior, wall to wall. A rickety desk held an old cash register, creaking under the weight of the bulky machine. The musky smell of paperback books filled Cloud's nose and he buried his head in his mother's neck for a moment. Hazel carried him over to a lone piece of furniture in the corner, a beat and faded mauve loveseat. She gently set Cloud down, ignoring the blood. If need be, she would replace the couch. Cloud hissed when his injuries touched the rough fabric, a sharp sensation of pain. The cold was wearing off now, the previously numb skin burning.

"Barb, can you get him some extra clothes? He's freezing." Hazel started stripping Cloud of his ruined clothes, whipping them off, she threw them into a near by waste basket and covered him with a thick, wool blanket that had been on the back of the loveseat. Cloud flushed with embarrassment, but he was just happy to be out of those clothes. Barb went to the back of the store and up a set of stairs to her house set above the shop. Rummaging in her draws, she finally found a comfortable pair of sweats and a heavy sweatshirt.

"Bring him right upstairs Hazel. I'll run a bath." Barb called down. Hazel bent to carry Cloud again, but he interrupted.

"It's okay, Mama. I can do it myself." Cloud whispered, pleading up at Hazel with luminescent blue eyes. Swallowing, she nodded, letter her little man pick himself up off the couch. He visibly winced, arms trembling a bit, the shock of the encounter finally setting in. Tears blurred Hazel's vision. Cloud hauled himself off the loveseat, weaving when his legs threatened to crumple under him. Balancing on the arm of the furniture for a second, Cloud took a tentative step towards the stairs. Pain wormed its way across his torso, echoing down his arms and legs. He bit his lip, stifling it.

Teetering, his legs made it all the way to the bottom of the stairs, about twenty steps or so, before collapsing. Hazel caught him, already prepared if he wasn't strong enough to make it on his own. Cloud burst into tears, sobs wracking his slim frame, curling into his mother.

"Sh, sweetheart." Cradling her child, Hazel carefully walked up the stairs. The door at the top was already open, Barb waiting for them inside. Entering a bright yellow bedroom, Hazel strode past the cheery floral print bed and, of course, numerous bookshelves, ignoring them. The bathroom was miniscule, barely able to fit the cracked toilet and beat tub. Barb was sitting on the closed toilet, knees touching the edge of the bathtub, dipping her hand into the almost full tub. A light steam rose up off the water, clouding the air.

"It's ready," Barb said, "but you can check the water yourself. It might be too warm for him." She stood and carefully exited the bathroom. Hazel was forced to step back out of the room to let Barb pass. Hazel sat on the toilet, Cloud safe in her arms, while she tested the water temperature. Finding it acceptable, she unwrapped Cloud, dropping the blanket unceremoniously to the floor and set him in the water. Her heart broke as he cried out in pain as his wounds touched the water and Cloud's raw back settled against the rough surface of the tub. Tenderly, Hazel went about the process of cleaning Cloud's injuries as he cried, tears silently leaking out of the corners of his eyes, staring blankly at the white walls across from him.

"Mama?" Cloud whispered, "Why do they act like that? Why can't they be nicer?" his voice broke. Hazel froze in washing Cloud's left arm, fingers momentarily digging into his pale flesh. He winced a bit, and she immediately let go, ashamed. She couldn't take it anymore. She broke. Harsh sobs shook her shoulders, and Hazel bowed over the edge of the tub burying her face in Cloud's neck. She lifted him up and held him in her lap, uncaring about the water drenching her clothes.

"I'm sorry, Cloud. It's my fault. It's all my fault. Please forgive me." Hazel rocked back and forth, begging for forgiveness. Cloud, at eights years old, didn't understand yet. It would be a long time before he understood _everything._

**xXxXxXx**

The fire crackled softly, Cloud gazing, unseeing into the dancing light. The owls hooted in the darkness, animals bustling about ready to start their day. His hands were clenched tightly around opposite wrist, elbows resting on his knees, shoulders hunched and bowed. Zack sat across from his, observing the beaten boy in front of him, pity welling.

"I didn't realize until I came to Midgar, how wrong they were to treat me like that."

"Cloud-" Zack began.

"I know, but it doesn't make it any better."

**xXxXxXx**

A/N: Oh my goodness, please forgive for such a long wait. I was being lazy but that's no excuse. I had more to write for this chapter, but I decided to cut it here because it just won't come out.


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